and the Construction of Vulnerability - Child Trafficking

7. Children who Remain at Home
when Others Migrate
Immigration law in receiving countries, as well as financial constraints, make it very
difficult for many parents/carers to take children with them when they migrate.
Those who are issued temporary work permits are rarely permitted to bring dependants
with them. Such permits are also designed to prevent migrant workers from
building up residency rights in the host country. Globally, there is a trend towards
the recruitment of migrant labour via schemes that involve such temporary permits.
It is therefore increasingly difficult for labour migrants to legally enter another country
with their families.
Yet, as has been seen, moving through irregular channels implies expense, the risk
of detention, sometimes also a risk to life, and many parents may thus be reluctant
to take children with them as undocumented migrants. The cost of accommodation,
child care and other living expenses may also deter poorer parents from migrating
with their children. Research on migration from the Caribbean suggests that it
is better off and more middle class families that tend to migrate together. 188 When
parents/carers migrate without their children it by definition implies separation.
Such separation varies both in type and length. For example:
● One parent/carer may migrate for a relatively brief period for seasonal work
abroad leaving children with another parent/primary carer; or both parents/carers
may migrate for a relatively brief period for seasonal work abroad leaving children
with extended family;
● One or both parents/carers may migrate for a longer period of time, intending
to send for their child(ren) at a later date;
● One or both parents/carers may migrate for a lengthy period or indefinitely with
no intention of the child(ren) joining them at a later date.
It is extremely difficult to estimate the numbers of children who are affected by any
of these forms of parental migration. In general, the impact of parental migration
on children who remain at home is under-researched. However, a number of recent
studies have set out to explore the disruption that migration may cause to family
life, children’s psycho-social development, their performance at school and more
generally to the communities in which children live. For example, researchers have
detailed the sense of abandonment, loss and grief experienced by children who have
endured lengthy separation from their parents. 189
A recent study of 159 children aged between 10 and 18 in Moldova revealed that
more than a quarter (27.6 per cent) had one parent living abroad, while 9.3 per cent
188. Crawford-Brown and Rattray, 2002
189. Pottinger and Williams-Brown, 2006; Pottinger, 2005; Glasgow and Ghouse-Shees, 1995; Crawford-Brown
and Rattray, 2002
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