specific needs of children and elderly left behind as a ... - IOM Moldova

The health of family members The involved perception in the of migration labour migration process
unprotected sexual contacts. Such cases are encountered in the study: “I
met a girl who started having sexual contacts at the age of 14, and when she
was 16 years old she gave birth. Her mother was in Israel, whereas the father
was drinking and was coming home rarely. The girl abandoned her baby...”
(FG_EC_urban).
The case of a 17 year old girl is a demonstrative one as her mother has
been abroad for six years. During this period the child was in need of
proper sexual education, communication and advice from an adult. Unfortunately,
the girl was left with her aunt with whom she was in permanent
conflict. At her young age, she already has a complicated gynaecological
anamnesis (2 abortions) and an obvious psycho-emotional
liability: “I suffer a lot, I have to take decisions on my own and I’m afraid.
I have no one to talk to; I don’t know whether I am doing good or bad
things...” (III_C_17).
Lack of knowledge about a risk-free sexual behaviour is the main cause
of sexually transmitted diseases with a significant negative impact on
the reproductive health of the population.
The study proved that while away, many parents are reserved to discuss the
sexual problems their teenagers may have, considering this a “taboo” topic.
Most children got the information about sexual maturation from mass media,
friends and less so from school: “We talk at school about this, but we are
not waiting and we start to look for information by ourselves. Where? From
our parents? No! I do not think this should be discussed with the parents. I
have a doctor cousin and I talk to her. Moreover, I use the computer and the
Internet to search for this kind of information. It is not absolutely necessary
to talk to somebody… Yes, I talk to my mom sometimes but because of the
embarrassment it’s not that simple either for me or for them to discuss these
subjects” (FG_C_1_urban).
A significant obstacle in sexual education of children is the communication
conflict between generations. Children who live with their grandparents
usually do not discuss these kind of issues, which traditionally are
considered by the older generation a shameful and closed topic: “Children
whose parents are abroad are helpless because nobody can tell them things
that their parents could, not even their grandparents” (FG_C_3_rural); “I
asked my grandmother what it is like to be grown-up and she said that I
would see it myself, and that was it... I didn’t ask my friends because I feel
embarrassed” (III_C_10).
However, physical distance between parents who are abroad and children
who remain at home create an emotional distance, which makes
sincere and open communication even more problematic. Although the
large majority reported that they frequently communicate by phone or
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