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

The perception of labour migration
doing well and we will help you when you’ll be in the asylum. I had some
problems with my legs for three years and I lost one foot, it was cut at the hospital
and they brought me here, to the asylum because at home there was nobody
who would take care of me. I have no wife...” (FG_E_4_rural_asylum).
There are many cases, also highlighted by the study, when labour migrant
children are not aware of the situation of their parents. The story of an
institutionalized elderly man aged 75 whose child is abroad for work is
quite relevant. When he came to visit his parent “he started asking me to
give him money because he wanted to get married and to buy a studio”. The
parent was ignored because of the immaturity of his child: “Victor is 29
years old and he asked me to give him money and I told him: “Do you think
I have it? Don’t you see where I am right now?” And he said: “But dad, you
had your own business.” Yes, there were times when I had money, but I have
nothing now. He got upset” (FG_E_3_urban_asylum).
Expressive are the cases that show indifference towards one’s own parents,
cases that are frequently met by institutionalized people. The elderly
are aware of the lack of interest from their labour migrant children: “I want
to say that my daughter is not calling me and is not interested in my situation
at all. She has no compassion for me, how could she do something like
that to me, she never called me to ask how I’m doing, where and how I live
– nothing”; “Children don’t want to know anything about us, I used to tell my
younger daughter: “Tonya, I’ll die and you won’t even know where my grave
is, because you never answer the phone...” (FG_E_3_urban_asylum).
It is important to mention that the perception of problems the elderly
face is related to their social status and general family situation. A high
social status of the elderly leads to high receptivity towards his/her own
health and daily issues. The subjects that are of major interest to them are
health, food and the help they need. A low social status of the elderly leads
to abandonment, neglect or superficial and occasional involvement in their
life by their labour migrant children, which often leads to their placement
in residential institutions.
The existence of grandchildren in old people’s care increases the receptivity
level towards the situation at home of their children abroad. Communication
by phone, Internet, remittances and periodical visits are the forms that
they show their care and interest. Their means, length and frequency vary
in most cases depending on the situations of those abroad. In this regard,
the area of children’s attention widens comprising all the grandchildren’s
problems that are cared for by the grandparents. Still, there are cases of
parental immaturity that represent an exception: “Let me tell you straight,
you know she doesn’t want to know anything about the children or my health.
She just asks me how am I doing and that is all. It’s like these kids are not
her own” (III_E_12) and the disappearance of those who left abroad: “My
41