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

Psychological and social effects of migration
“You are going far my mother,
Somewhere so far away,
I am telling you, my mother
We will not forget you, pray...
I will shed my tears all day and night
And I’ll continue praying
For you to be ok
Wherever you will stay.
Now stop and think about it,
There is only a minute left,
To go away and leave us,
To say good-bye to us...
A last and only second,
A last and only pain,
I will hold you now and tell you,
Good buy my beloved mother.
No matter what – we will love you,
And we will be there forever,
To wait for you together,
At our lonely house” (III_C_19).
The results of the study show that children of labour migrant parents do not
have the emotional experiences necessary for a harmonious development
of personality. A child’s mind has a continuous necessity of emotional fulfillment.
Intense negative emotions that are experienced by children of migrant
parents significantly influence their mental health, reduce their life
potential and limit the development of relations based on trust and affection.
Children who are separated from their parents and rarely experience
positive emotions stop developing their competencies of managing their
excitement as well as ensuring a normal functionality of all their systems.
Some children (especially those who have both parents abroad) mention
that they feel deprived of any help and guidance:, the fact that my mom
was not around and she couldn’t give me the advice that I needed”; ,,sometimes
you feel that you need their help, their advice when you are trying to
find a way out” (FG_C_2_rural). The child’s reaction can be explained by
the fact that his/her need for attachment is a biological one, an inherited
one and has the aim to help them survive; it is part of our genetic adaptation,
representing a prerequisite to the best emotional development. The
biological mother represents the “primary reference person”, the “primary
matrix” (including mother, father, sister, brother if there are any)
and the “security niche”. The attachment relation with the mother develops
simultaneously with the attachment with the other family members.
The children’s reaction to long-term separation from their main attachment
person is, at first, shown through protest, despair and finally detachment,
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