Increasing the Impact of Remittances on Children's Rights
Author(s): F. K. Coronel F. Unterreiner
This study focuses on children left behind by their parent(s) working overseas and on how the children's rights are addressed in the absence of one or both parents. The study finds that the effects of parental migration on the rights of the child are mixed because proxy measures are often used. In terms of survival, the economic advantage resulting from the migration of a parent does not seem to have altered health-care behaviour, which remains poor. There are also indications of a high incidence of hygiene-related health problems in families with migrant parents. On the other hand, the children of migrants are able to join academic organizations and take part in extra-curricular activities. A significantly higher proportion (compared to the children of non-migrants) has received academic and non-academic awards. Nevertheless, an overwhelming majority of the children of migrants are not protected against economic shocks. Very few of these families have liquid assets, since they prefer to invest in new houses and only a few have private insurance coverage. They also appear to be more vulnerable to psycho-social shocks brought about when families split up. Finally, the study demonstrates that there are government programmes for migrants, but awareness of these programmes is low and the realization of their benefits is even lower. The low utilization of government programmes for migrants may indicate a disconnect between the intended objectives of these programmes and the actual needs of the migrants and their families. Moreover, there is a serious lack of programmes that address the needs of migrants' children.