Post on 21-Feb-2020
Bucharest 2007
COORDINATOR
Gabriela Alexandrescu
Executive President – „Save the Children‟ Organization
IMPACT OF PARENTS’ MIGRATION ON
CHILDREN LEFT AT HOME
AUTHORS
Miriam Munteanu – „Save the Children‟ Organization
Elena Tudor – National Authority for Child Rights Protection (chapter V)
Cover: photo taken during ‘We are Your Friends” Project, presented in the chapter on best practices
Bucharest, Intrarea Ştefan Furtună, nr.3
Sector 1, cod 010899
Tel.021 316 61 76; Fax: 021 312 44 86
e-mail: rosc@Save the Children.ro
www.salvaticopiii.ro
Foreword
Save the Children Romania, an active member of the International Save the
Children Alliance, is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based on the voluntary
involvement of its members who conduct activities to the benefit of children, especially
those in difficulty. Save the Children is well-known for its active participation and
coordination capacity in the development of national studies and strategies that have a direct
impact in the child protection system in Romania.
Save the Children approaches any social phenomenon with an impact on children,
one of its main roles being that of promoting and supporting the application of the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child and ensure the observance of the rights of the child
at all levels of the Romanian society. In this sense, Save the Children carries out children‟s
rights monitoring activities, is involved in identifying all problems that certain categories of
children are faced with, develops and provides special services, based on the needs and
identified problems.
At present, Romania is faced with a new social phenomenon with a major impact on
children, namely the migration of an increasing number of parents to countries with a more
developed economy, parents that leave their children at home to be taken care of by other
people, for undetermined periods of time.
This study is an analysis from the viewpoint of how the rights of the children are
observed after they are left in the country following the external migration of their parents
and was carried out in order to obtain an image as clear as possible of the situation of this
category of children, to identify their needs, problems and difficulties, all this being a starting
point for the development of the most appropriate types of services dedicated to this
category.
Gabriela Alexandrescu
Executive President
Save the Children Romania
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all the people who supported us in our undertaking, by
offering important data and information that represented a starting point in the research, all
those who supported us in the collection of the data in the locations in which the study was
conducted (Suceava, Iaşi and Piatra Neamţ) as well as all the participants in the study (as
respondents): children, teachers, school counsellors, parents and grandparents and
representatives of DGASPC (Directorate General of Social Assistance and Child Protection)
and town halls of the three locations chosen.
In this sense, we would like to thank:
The Ministry of Education, Research and Youth
The principals, teachers and school counsellors from the schools that supported us
in the organization of the focus groups and interviews during the whole research,
helping us to contact the target group
The members and volunteers of Save the Children Branches from Suceava, Iaşi and
Piatra Neamţ
We would also like to extend out special thanks for their support and collaboration
to the National Authority for Child Rights Protection (ANPDC), who provided us with data
regarding the number of children left at home after their parents‟ departure to work abroad
and had the kindness to present to us the main measures taken to support this category of
children. The situation outlined by ANPDC is described in chapter 5 of this report.
We would also like to thank Mrs. Mihaela Carmen Plăcintă, Mrs. Lucica Cosovan
and Mrs. Dorica Cîmpan, teachers at „Miron Costin‟ School in Suceava, for the project they
initiated and coordinated, which is presented as a “best practice” example in this study.
List of abbreviations
ANPDC National Authority for Child Rights Protection
MECT Ministry of Education, Youth and Research
SPAS Public Service of Social Assistance
DGASPC Directorate General of Social Assistance and Child Protection
CDC UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
CONTENTS
Foreword 4
Acknowledgements 5
I. INTRODUCTION 8
II. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 13
III. METHODOLOGY 14
IV. RESULTS OF THE STUDY 16
V. National Authority for Child Rights Protection – overview on the situation at the national level of the number of children left without parents as a result of migration and implemented measures 38
VI. Overview on the current services addressed to children whose parents left abroad to work 41
VII. Good practice examples related to the target group – Description of the project „We are your friends” developed by a school in Suceava 48
VIII. RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS 52
IX. RECOMMENDATIONS 58
X. ANNEXES: Discussion guides and description of special techniques used during the discussions with the children 61
I. INTRODUCTION
‘Home alone children’- A new social phenomenon for Romania
A market economy still insufficiently developed and the facilitation of the free
movement of people in the context of Romania‟s capacity as EU candidate country and then
as a EU Member State are two factors that have generated high levels of migration towards
the more developed countries of Europe. This phenomenon has even a larger scale in the
„poorer‟ areas of the country, with a development rate which is still very low, where finding a
job has become a major issue for the community.
At present, the North-Eastern area is the region with the lowest development rate
(GDP per capita is 5,8391, as compared to the Western region with a GDP value of 9,679. In Bucharest
GDP amounts to 16,162). Considering a low degree of development, largely due to the lower
degree of urbanization, the North-Eastern area is confronted with a major migration wave, a
phenomenon that leaves traces within those communities.
Within this context, the departure of a considerable number of people abroad, either
to look for a job or to look for a better-paid job, has left behind a great number of children
that lack the presence of their parents in the rearing and development process. The
increasing number of children with parents that have left to work abroad outlines a new
social phenomenon that Romania is now confronting.
According to the latest communication from ANPDC, an institution which has the
role to monitor this phenomenon, there are over 82,464 children left without one or both
parents following the departure of the latter to work abroad. Of them, 26,406 are children
that come from families in which both parents have left to work abroad; 47,154 are children
coming from families in which one parent has left to work abroad and 8,904 are children
that come from families whose single provider has left to work abroad. As we can see, nearly
half of the children are left at home without any of their parents (either both parents have
left, or the only provider has left). Of them, nearly 2,500 children are in the special
protection system.
1 GDP per capita, expressed in PPP US $ for 2004, Source: National Institute of Statistics
We must however mention that the identification and monitoring process initiated
and carried out by ANPDC is ongoing, more and more children being identified from one
quarter to another. We believe that the number of children whose parents have left to work
abroad is much higher than the one declared by this institution so far. We base our opinion
both on the limits and problems noticed in the territory with respect to the official
identification process and the recent study of the Soros Foundation - „Migration Effects –
The Children Left Home‟ that indicates a number twice higher of children with parents who
have left to work abroad only among secondary school pupils. This study indicates the
existence of 170,000 pupils from the V-VIII grades who have at least one parent working
abroad.
‘Home alone children’ – a phenomenon that is just starting to be studied
Starting from the fact that the legislation, through the UN Convention on the rights of the
child, as well as Law 272/2004, defends the interests of the child, we considered it necessary
to carry out a research on the situation of these children left without their parents‟ care, as it
was important to point out the needs they have in order to grow up in an environment
favourable to a normal and harmonious development. The need for a study on this target
group based on which we could act becomes even greater considering the existence of a
relatively low number of finished researches to offer a clear picture of the effects of the
parents‟ departure over the children left home and point out the „areas‟ in which protection
measures are needed.
Here are some of the studies regarding the children whose parents have left to work abroad:
1. „Home Alone”- study carried out as part of the „Home Alone” project managed by the „Social
Alternatives” Association in partnership with Iaşi County School Inspectorate, Iaşi County Police
Inspectorate and Iaşi Victim Protection and Social Reintegration Service. The study was carried out by
S.C. Introspekt SRL, research coordinator Dr. Gabriela Irimiescu.
2. ”Migration effects – children left home”, study carried out as part of a wider research programme
„Migration and Development”, programme initiated, financed and implemented by the Soros
Foundation Romania
3. „Problems of the children whose parents have left to work abroad”- study carried out at the Dunărea
de Jos University of Galaţi. Study coordinator Ass. Drd. Viorel Rotilă.
We mention that all these studies were carried out in 2007.
1. “Home alone” study2 was conducted on a limited area, in Iasi, and was aimed at
drawing attention on the emerging social phenomenon: children whose parents have
gone to work abroad. The research had two parts, a quantitative and qualitative one.
A sociological inquiry was conducted using a questionnaire on a two-stage layered
sample made of pupils aged 10 to 19 years old, from the urban area (Iasi) and rural
area (Raducaneni). The inquiry was supplemented by two focus groups with child
protection specialists from both localities.
The goal of the study was to outline a profile of the migrating family, identify the
factors underlying the parents‟ departure to work abroad, the way in which the
child/children perceive their parents‟ going abroad to work, the effects of the parents‟
departure on the children and the identification of the best ways to protect these children at
risk.
The results of the study mainly highlighted the following:
the parents that decide to work abroad are aged between 25 and 45;
the main emigration reason is the lack of money;
the share of dismembered families is higher among migrating families;
the parents‟ departure has negative effects on the children: they feel abandoned,
some of their needs are not fulfilled;
problems related to the frequency and accomplishment of school activities appear in
the case of children whose parents have left to work abroad;
in the rural environment children have more responsibilities;
the effects of emigration on children are visible: change of physical appearance,
absenteeism and school dropout, high probability to commit crimes etc.
2. „Problems of the children whose parents have left to work abroad‟3 is a study carried
out by „Dunărea de Jos‟ University of Galaţi, the Philosophy-Sociology Department.
The study was based on the application of a questionnaire to 981 pupils from Galaţi,
2 “Home alone”, Social Alternatives Association, 2006
3 „Problems of the children whose parents have left to work abroad‟, Dunărea de Jos University, Galaţi,
2007
Brăila, Iaşi and Botoşani Counties (77% pupils being from the Galaţi area). This
study was also meant to identify the determining factors that drive the parents‟
decision to leave to work abroad, to identify the children‟s attitude towards the
departure and implicitly the effects of the parents‟ departure on the children and
identify the changes that appear in the family life, respectively between children and
parents following the departure of one or both parents to work abroad. Moreover,
this study was meant to determine the changes of mentality determined by living
abroad with the parents that have left and influences exerted over the children left
home and identify the modalities in which the children whose parents are away
project their professional life.
The main conclusions of the study were the following4:
The absence of the mother in the family in a percentage almost similar to the
absence of the father (38.8% children have the mother working abroad and 38%
have the father working abroad) indicates an increased risk for the children, taking
into consideration the traditional model of the family in which mothers have the
most important role in growing up and educating children; at the same time, this is
one of the important factors that contribute to the change of the family model;
8,4 % children stated that they were left alone by the parents who left to work
abroad;
24% children stated that they talk sporadically (13%) or rarely with their parents;
44% children stated that they noticed modifications in other people‟s behaviour
towards them; among the main changes, there is the fact that the others treat them
more nicely either to protect them or to obtain gifts;
45. 67% children stated that they miss their parents very much, most of them have
their mothers away;
15.29% children believe that the relations between their parents have deteriorated;
27.42% children stated that their parents that have left to work abroad have no
intention to come back to Romania for good; 42% do not know whether their
parents will come back;
31% children want to leave abroad, 15% of which want to leave abroad to work;
4 The communicated percentages refer to the sample for this study. The sample is not representative at the
national level.
3. „Migration effects: the children left home‟5, carried out by the Soros Foundation is
the first nationwide study. The research is based on a field survey carried out on a
representative sample of 2,037 pupils from the V-VIII grades, a sub-sample of 437
pupils who have one or both parents away to work abroad.
Just like the previous studies, the research of the Soros Foundation is meant to
determine the impact of the absence of the parents that have left to work abroad on the
children left in the country and propose measures by which the negative effects can be
diminished. In this sense, the questionnaire included questions about the lifestyle, family
composition, school performances, health condition, family well-being, certain behaviours
and values.
The Soros study shows that the number of children whose parents are away to work
abroad declared by ANPDC (82,000 children) is much under-sized. The estimations of the
data of this survey reveal a double figure as compared to the official statistics, only among
the school population of the V-VIII grades (170,000 children). Of them, nearly 35,000 have
both parents abroad, 55,000 only the mother, and 80,000 have only their father abroad.
From the point of view of the geographical distribution the data shows that the regions most
affected by this phenomenon are the West of the country (Banat, Crişana, Maramureş, where
the percentage of secondary school pupils whose parents have left to work abroad is 27% of
the total number of pupils and Moldavia, where the percentage is 25%. The study also shows
that the parents‟ emigration for work has both positive and negative effects over the children
left home. The main positive effects are related to the financial well-being of the children
(improvement of living conditions, mobile phone, computer etc.). Among the negative
effects an outstanding one is the fact that the departure of one of the parents determines in
certain cases a deterioration of the child‟s relation with the parent that remains home. Other
negative effects can be found at the psychological level, at children with one or both parents
away to work abroad, where the frequency of the depression symptom is higher.
5 „Migration effects: the children left at home‟, Soros Foundation, 2007
II. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The research „Impact of parents‟ migration on children left at home‟ is meant to
point out the impact that the parents‟ departure has on the good development of the
children, the needs that these children have while their parents are away and on the basis of
the needs pointed out, to recommend and develop the most adequate types of services for
this target group.
The study is also meant to analyze the situation of the target group (of children
whose parents have left to work abroad) from the perspective of the observance of the
rights of the child guaranteed by the ON Convention for the rights of the child that was also
ratified by Romania and by Law 272/2004 on the protection and promotion of the rights of the child.
As a conclusion, the general scope of the study was to conduct an analysis as
complete as possible of the situation of the children left without parental care following the
departure of one or both parents to work abroad. Thus, in order to achieve the general
objective of the study, it evaluated:
• the family environment in which these children grow up and develop and the
relations they establish with the people taking care of them;
• the specific needs of the children whose parents have left to work abroad
and the degree these needs are covered (emotional and rational needs: food,
well-being, access to health services);
• the behavioural changes of the children following the departure of one or
both parents;
• the impact of the parents‟ departure over the learning/ education process
(focusing on the risk of school dropout);
• the degree of social participation and involvement of the children left home;
• services that the target group can turn to and the extent at which they
function and
• identification of the necessary means to limit the negative impact of this
phenomenon over the children‟s development, education and well-being.
III. METHODOLOGY
In line with the objectives proposed for this study a qualitative research was chosen,
an exploratory action being necessary in order to make a comprehensive assessment of the
needs of a child with one or both parents away to work abroad, and the extent and levels at
which he/she needs protection from the State or the civil society.
The qualitative research mainly focused on the perceptions and attitudes that these
children have over their own situation, the needs they have and their perception over the
possible solution to their problems. Because the children are the ones that feel the most
powerfully the problems they are going through, they are able to establish the priority of the
aspects that need to be solved. In order to have however a complete image on the difficulties
and obstacles that the children are confronting and the possible situations, the research was
also extended to school-masters, teachers, school counsellors and representatives of the
welfare and children right protection directions.
The methods used were focus group and interview, methods that allow the deep
investigation of the perceptions and attitudes of the investigated subjects. The discussion
guides dedicated to children and the techniques used were adapted depending on their age in
order to obtain relevant results for every age group. For the small age groups (8-12, 12-16)
several projective techniques were used (the technique of drawing, photo collage, story about a normal
day of their lives as children) in order to facilitate the communication and expression of their
own perceptions and emotions regarding the temporary or definitive absence of their parents
(the interview guides for each category and description of the methods used for children are attached to this
study).
We mention that the participation of the children to this study was volunteer, giving
special attention to the most sensitive to the problem approached, making sure that the
discussion about the lack of the parents does not harm them emotionally in any way.
The research was carried out in three locations (Suceava, Iaşi and Piatra Neamţ) –
the county seats indicated with the highest number of children with one or both parents
away to work abroad in the monitoring process carried out by ANPDC.
The structure of the interviews and focus groups for every locality was the following:
No. Investigated group Method approached No. of units
1. Children aged between 8 and 12 Focus group 2
2. Children aged between 13 and 14 Focus group 2
3. Children aged between 15 and 18 Focus group 2
4. Parents left home alone Focus group 2
5. People supporting children whose
parents are abroad
Focus group 2
6. Teachers Focus group 2
7. School counsellors In-depth interview 4
8. Representatives of DASPC In-depth interview 2
All in all, in the three locations to this study took part 60-70 pupils aged between 8
and 18, 40 people taking care of these children (either one of the parents that stayed in
Romania or other close or distant relatives, neighbours or acquaintances), 40 teachers from
both the primary and secondary school, 8 school counsellors and 6 representatives of the
social assistance directions of the town halls and county directorates for social assistance and
child right protection.
IV. RESULTS OF THE STUDY
In order to point out the extent at which the parents‟ emigration abroad has an
impact on the minors left home, the results of the survey were approached from the
perspective of the observance of the rights of the child established internationally by the UN
Convention on the rights of the child and nationally, also stipulated by Law 272/2004 on the
protection and promotion of the rights of the child. The analysis of the results of this study followed
mainly elements related to the family environment in which the children that lack their
parents‟ care are growing up and develop, element related to the health condition and well-
being by pointing out the needs that these children have, elements related to the education,
culture and leisure and last but not least, it focused on the extent at which the right to
participation, the right to non-discrimination, social inclusion and special protection
measures were observed.
‘The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on
November 20, 1989 supposed the transfer of the rights of the child from a much wider framework, included in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights to a specific one that shortly became an important tool for governments, non-
governmental and international organizations.
With the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by Law no. 18/ 1990, Romania became
one of the first countries to adhere to its principles and provisions.
By this convention the states party of the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognized that for the plenary
and harmonious of his/her personality, the child must grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness,
love and understanding, taking into account the fact that a child must be plainly ready to live independently within the
society and be educated in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed by the United Nations Charter and especially in the spirit
of peace, dignity, freedom, tolerance, equality and solidarity. In this sense the convention gives a special importance to the
family, who has the main responsibility in the care and protection of the child.
The Convention stipulates that due to their vulnerability, children need special care and protection, focusing on:
- the need for a juridical protection and protection of other nature of the child before and after birth;
- the importance of the respect for the cultural values of the child’s community;
- the vital role of international cooperation and realization of the rights of the child.’ 6
6 „Convention on the Rights of the Child”, material printed in 3,000 copies and distributed for free by the
Save the Children Organization
Therefore, by his/her nature, a child needs protection from all involved parties: the
State by the institutions or services offered in order to ensure child protection, parents
bearing most of the responsibility in this case, non-governmental institutions etc. In this
sense, it will focus on the situation of the children that are left temporarily or definitively
without parental care in order to find the most adequate modalities of action so that the
rights of this category of children are fully observed.
As a study based on qualitative data collection methods, the analysis will be able to
point out only certain phenomena or problems related to the temporary absence of the
parents, but it cannot also offer a measure of the intensity of these phenomena. The measure
of the intensity, the degree and extent of the phenomena, problems pointed out at the target
group can be the theme of a future quantitative research.
IV. 1. Right to family and protection
Any child has the right to grow up and develop in a family. The convention gives a special
importance to family, who has the main responsibility with respect to the care and protection of the
child
CDC, art. 5,18(1)-(2), 19, 20, 39
It is well-known that the family environment contributes in a positive or negative
way to a child‟s development process.
In this context it is necessary to mention firstly what the needs related to parents are,
felt acutely by children when the first are missing from home.
In the perception of both younger children and teenagers, parents represent an
emotional support in almost all activities, both school and extracurricular activities. During
the interviews with pre-teenagers and teenagers it was proved that the external motivation
coming from parents still has an important role with respect to going to school, the learning
activity, involvement in certain extracurricular activities etc.
‘(...) I mostly feel the absence of my parents when I am getting prizes, there all children come with their mom or
dad...and I see nobody, this makes me not feel like learning anymore...’
Girl, 10 years old, Suceava, both parents away to work abroad
‘I have noticed a drop in the school results, in the interest for school... ever since his mother left abroad, when his father
was away, he used to do better, his mother was taking care of him (...)!’
School-master, Iaşi
For teenagers and youngsters, parents represent the most important support in the
situations that suppose taking an important decision in their lives.
‘ I need my parents when I make a decision, because I do not know if the decision is good or not’
Girl, 18 years old, mother away to work abroad
Apart from the support gran ted, c ommunication Is another basic need felt by children whos e paren ts are abroad. Parents, especiall y mothers, are al ways close to the children, trying to commu nicate to them, be a support in s olving the problems they hav e. That‟s why most of the times, es pecially girls, feel that have nobody to commu nicate with in the absence of their mother, becoming mor e isolated and in teriori zed.
‘ Our friend was different before her mother left for Italy, she was always happy and communicative, she was speaking
to everybody, now she is more silent, more solitary...’
‘...well, now I am lodging and the lady speaks a lot about her problems, and I am bored, with mom it was different, I
could speak a lot with her about many things’
Girls, 12-16 years old, parents separated, mother away to work abroad
And last but not least, children feel the absence of their parents when they have
the burden of the household chores. Be it when they are only left with their father, be it
with a distant relative, mere landlord or alone, many of the children need to take over part of
the household activities.
The research pointed out the fact that when the parents are away to work abroad,
children are left most of the times with members of the extended family – be it with the
grandparents, be it with other distant relatives (aunt, uncle etc.). Under these circumstances,
many of the needs felt by the children, such as the ones of support, assistance,
communication and care are to a certain extent compensated/ fulfilled by them.
There are however cases in which children over a certain age, 13-14 years old, are left
alone to take care of themselves, having partially or at all support from an adult (be it
relative, neighbour or close acquaintance of his/her parents‟). In these situations, the
children in plain adolescence, apart from the fact that they take over almost all or even all
household activities and as the case may be, they also take over the activities of taking care of
younger children, do not benefit from support and assistance from an adult. As a conclusion,
among the children whose parents have left to work abroad there is a category that does not
benefit from a family environment favourable to their harmonious development by the fact
that they do not benefit from the care and protection offered by an adult, be it parent or
relative. These cases are seen in teenagers under age invested by parents with the
responsibility to take care of the household and themselves, being considered to have an age
at which they can manage by themselves, getting a constant sum of money or not.
The situation in which the teenagers remain for a period of time without the
presence of a parent, grandparent or another adult to make the household and maintenance
activities easier, to supervise, protect and support them especially affectively in their actions
is proved to have negative effects at the emotional and behavioural level. At the emotional
level, they perceive themselves as:
without hope and the certainty of a fulfilled and happy future;
without support and encouragement in any participation activity (we also include
here the participation in education);
without support in the periods considered to be decisive for them (for example
the high-school entrance examination, bachelor‟s degree exam, choosing a
faculty); most of the time, solitary wi th isol ation tendencies, l ack of d esire to communicate with the o thers.
„I felt that I needed someone to motivate me, push me somehow to do certain things; although I do not have problems at
school, I have good marks, but I feel need the need for my parents to motivate me, for example in the morning I do not
feel like going to school...I did not skip classes...but I felt the need for someone to tell me to wake up’
‘(...) I sometimes felt the need for a piece of advice from an adult’
Girl, 17 years old, Iaşi, both parents away to work abroad
‘ (...) it was very difficult when I had to take the high-school entrance examination test, I did not know what to do,
where to take it. I had whom to talk to, to my brother and I also talked to my mom and dad on the phone, but it was
more difficult on the phone’
Girl, 16 years old, Suceava, both parents away to work abroad
Of the behavioural effects, we mention a few, developing each of them in the
corresponding chapters:
school dropout (tendency seen mostly in boys);
low school participation; the research revealed the fact that absenteeism is often
seen among the teenagers left home alone without a constant supervision from
an adult;
weak isolation and communication both with the other children and with the
school-masters or teachers;
tendency of association with deviating groups, sometimes even criminality (seen
mainly among boys);
risk of drug consumption.
‘(...) we are confronting them when they have already started to commit crimes, they start consuming drugs, they start
skipping classes and when we are trying to see what the problem really is, we find out the fact that they are left without
supervision, they are home alone, their parents have left to work abroad, (...) we many times find out from the
neighbours and we go to see what the problem really is’
Reprezentat DGASPC, Neamţ
Moreover, in some cas es, the situ ation does no t seem to be wanted and accepted by the s mall ones, be it pr e-school or school children that are l eft with their old er bro thers or sis ters. Small childr en react negatively to the lack of pati ence and attention of their old er brothers.
‘If I stay here with her she does her homework, if not, she doesn’t. She gets upset when one does not always give her
attention. She no longer react to what I say anyway’
Boy, 18 year old, with a 9-year old sister that he is taking care of alone, Suceava
‘What do you do in a normal day of your life?
During school I write, I play, I sometimes do my homework...
What do you mean sometimes, why only sometimes?
Well, I get angry when I do not know how to solve a problem...
And don’t you have someone to ask for help?
No...
Couldn’t you ask your brother you are living with?
No, because he always comes home tired and has no time for me’
Girl, 9 years old, mother away to work abroad, lives only with her 18-year-old brother, Suceava
The qualitative results of this study pointed out the fact that the mentioned effects,
both at the psychic and behavioural level, can also be seen to a certain extent in children
under age that although theoretically they are taking care of by an adult, namely they live
with a grandparent or another relative, they cannot find a real support in them or even more,
they suffer from their authority. Especially among teenagers, the absence of their parents
from home is an opportunity to express their freedom, getting to the same risk situations
(school dropout, association with less socially desirable groups). This situation is seen
especially among teenagers over whom grandparents or other relatives have a very low
control level.
‘Bigger children speculate in their teenage and adventurous spirit this freedom that their parents offer them’
Representative of DGASPC, Neamţ
‘It is very difficult for me with the 16-year-old boy, they are 5 children in total...and their mother is away to earn some
money, their father does not care, the 16-year-old is the oldest and always leaves home...and if I say something he
screams and he may even slap me...I cannot seem to get along with him’
Grandmother, taking care of 3 children, Piatra Neamţ
The research also revealed the fact that the absence of an adult taking part in the
harmonious growing up and development of this category of children is not the only
problem that keeps them away from the living in an adequate family environment and in an
atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding. Children’s situation mostly depends
on the relation established between them and the people taking care of them and the
relation established between them and the parents that have left to work abroad. The
role and influence that especially the relation with the parents away has on the behaviour and
good development of the children turned out to be overwhelming. In this sense, we could
say that the leaving parent has an even greater responsibility in the relation he/she
establishes with his/her own child.
Children’s relation with the people taking temporarily care of them
The research shows the fact that the relation children establish with the people
taking care of them is very important for their good development, with visible effects in their
behaviour. For example, a good relation of understanding and communication with the
adults that are temporarily talking care of them manages to diminish the less desirable
behaviour caused by the absence of the parents.
‘ (...) they need a lot of communication, because the truth is they have nobody to communicate with...for example I was
looking at my neighbours who are grandparents and are left with two grandchildren after the parents’ departure abroad,
they said that the girl passed more easily through the drama of the parents’ departure thanks to a friend that was
coming over, they did their homework together, the grandparents gave them money to go out and have a cake. Here, my
neighbours understood the child’s needs, they were close to the children, knew how to be close to them’
Teacher, Neamţ
We shall now develop children‟s perception over the relation they have with the parent
(mother or father), grandparents, older brothers or other people they stay home with.
Children‟s perception over the established relationships shall be seconded by the perception
of the adult persons that are taking care of them.
Relation with the single parent that stays home
Significant differences were noticed between the situation in which the mother is the
one that stays with the children home and the situation in which the father is the one that
stays home while the mother leaves to work abroad. Considering the fact that in general the
mother is taking care of the household activities, her absence leaves a number of activities,
„cares‟ that must be taken over by the father and the children left home. Depending on the
children‟s age and sex, most of the times the father shares „responsibilities‟ with them. We
must mention the fact that normally the girls are the ones that take over the household
activities – cleaning, cooking, laundering – as well as taking care of their younger brothers,
whereas the boys are less burdened with these activities.
Moreover, the mother is again the one that communicates most easily and more with
the children. When she is absent, communication within the family seems to be more
difficult, at least in the beginning.
The conclusion drawn by the children, especially by girls, was that the absence of the
mother has visible effects and leaves needs uncovered to a greater extent than the absence of
the father. These needs are mainly linked to the organization of the household activities,
communication and emotional support for the children in all their activities.
‘With mom I used to talk more freely, I could even joke. I could buy women’s things, cosmetics, clothes. Dad, in
exchange, as a man, understands more difficultly, mom understood because she used to be like us’
Girl, 17 years old, Suceava, mother away to work abroad
‘ (...) dad does not understands certain things, if I tell him I like a boy he would slap me, mom is different, she used
to understand me and gave me advice, grandma does not give advice like mom used to either’
Girl, 12 years old, Iaşi, mother away to work abroad
But when the father wants it and makes an effort to ensure a family environment
favourable to the growing up and development of the children, he manages to establish a
close relationship with the children, re-establishing the balance within the family. The girls‟
perception was that in the absence of the mother they managed to create a closer and more
open relation with their father as compared to the one existing before the mother‟s
departure.
‘It was difficult, but we managed. Dad helped me all the time. He understood me with the food. Whem mom left I
could not do what mom used to do. He understood and helped me’
‘The relationship with dad changed into good ever since mom left. We used to communicate before too, but we did not
discuss about everything, only what was necessary. We now have meetings all the time’
Girl, 17 years old, Suceava, mother away to work abroad
Although the absence of the father would affect less the children, at least at the
declarative level, the research revealed the fact that his absence has negative effects both on
the emotional development and behaviour, especially in the case of boys (no matter theur
age, and visible at early ages). The boys that stayed home with their mother turned out to be
more isolated, communicated more difficultly with the others and are from the emotional
point of view very sensitive, becoming vulnerable in certain situations. These effects have
more impact when there is no relation between the fathers that are away and their children
(by phone or any other relation).
What the research showed to be very important in both absence of the mother and
the father is the level of understanding between the two parents. Differences between the
parents at distance one from each other seem to affect more the children left at home
than the absence of one of them. When only one of the parents leaves, the children suffer
with the parent left home the tension caused of the possible separation of the family.
Moreover, part of the children witnesses the separations and divorces that rise after the
departure of one or both parents to work abroad.
‘ (...) the first month was difficult for us and dad. Mom had left, we missed her, especially because there were weeks
when she could not call us. There is a certain tension laid on me and my sister. We understood what was going on, it
did not affect us as it affected dad, but it affected us. Dad was more affected, especially because he had all kinds of
thoughts, all kinds of ideas. We were trying to calm him down, all responsibility was on him now’
Girl 17 years old, Suceava, mother away to work abroad
Relation with the grandparents
Children‟s relation with the grandparents that are taking care of them while their
parents are away is very important, considering that most of the children with parents away
to work abroad remain to be taken care by them (according to the data provided by ANPDC). The
relation established with the grandparents was perceived differently depending on the age
and sex of the child. By all children however, no matter their age and sex, grandparents were
seen as having values and perceptions that were obsolete/ not adapted to modern times,
about the current lifestyles and relations with the others. This situation in children‟s
perception turns out to be most of the times a „barrier‟ in the communication and
understanding with the grandparents. In most of the cases that took part in this study, the
children, especially those aged over 11-12 believed that there is a very big distance between
them and their grandparents, the latter being less capable of finding that optimal modality to
get close to them, communicate and maintain a close relation of friendship.
The study showed that grandparents manage to communicate better with the small
ones or with the girls, who emotionally are closer to them, and worse with teenage boys on
which they no longer manage to impose themselves/ they do not manage to have an
authority or communicate in most cases. The effects of the lack of communication and
understanding can lead both to school absenteeism, abandonment or even association with
socially less desirable groups, with criminality risk.
Apart from the perception on the difference of values, children feel the need of
more active persons close to them, persons that they can play with, to whom they can
discuss more, walk and go to nature trips, go to picnics etc., needs that in most cases cannot
be covered by grandparents due both to the older age and their bad health condition.
‘ It is not the same thing to live with your grandma like it is to live with your mom and dad...
What difference do you see?
Grandma is older. I used to go to the field with my dad. Grandma cannot. That would be it.’
Focus group discussion 8-12 years old, boy, Suceava
Grandparents have also pointed out a few problems existing in their relationship
with the grandchildren they are taking care of. They feel that they have less energy and force
to:
help the children with their homework, with the assimilation and explanation of
certain knowledge taught in school, a situation due to the fact that most
grandparents have not continued their education after the primary or secondary
school. Moreover, in time, the education system has changed a lot, the level of
knowledge and information assimilated in school being a lot different;
take part with the children in different activities specific to their age: games, walks
and nature trips etc.
‘Anyway they miss their parents, with them they live differently, parents go to a picnic with them, play with them’
Grandmother, taking care of granddaughter, Suceava
‘Children talk differently with their parents and grandparents. Parents are younger, they take them somewhere, where
can grandma take him...to church and back. Children want you to take them somewhere where they can have fun. And
they want you to have money’
Grandmother, taking care of grandson, Suceava
Apart from the aforementioned ideas, most problems appear when parents stop any
contact with the children, or even more, they do (no longer) send them money for their
maintenance. In this context, considering the scarcity of money, the relation between
children and grandparents deteriorate even more. As the grandparents are pensioners, they
do not have the possibility to maintain their grandchildren in good conditions. Many times,
they are forced to use protection measures (day centres, obtaining the family placement
assistance etc).
‘ I am left with three grandchildren, my daughter left abroad, she rarely calls. I have three grandchildren that I am
taking care of, one in the 6th grade and the other two are starting school now. When I think about it, I feel like going to
the wide world’
Grandmother, taking care of three grandchildren, Suceava
‘If you knew how hard it is to wait for some money to come, when you see it is not a lot and try to make it cover all
needs and you think that maybe he is going to send you...and so the days go by, one day, one week. He phoned me one
day and said he would send me. And another week has passed by and I got ill. The other children came and gave
money so that I solved the problems. I was so disgusted. I told him <<You sentenced me, I brought up four children,
you should have left me alone at my old age so that we manage as we can>>. Once the girl asked for an ice-cream.
Well, I did not have RON 6 for an ice-cream’
Grandmother, taking care of one grandchild, Suceava
Relation wit the older brothers
The research showed that there also are cases of children under age that are taking
care of other children under age. Most of the times they either have a relative „monitoring‟
them, supervising them from the distance (he/she can help them with household activities,
keeps contact with them on the phone, etc.). But the fact that these children do not have an
adult all the time with them makes them feel insecure somehow, feel less motivated and
supported in the social participation, education etc. From the emotional point of view,
children that must live and manage on their own become more sensitive and vulnerable.
As for the relationship between brothers, if there are significant differences, the older
ones take over the roles or mother and father for the younger ones. The older brother or
sister takes care of the younger ones under all aspects (cooks for them, makes sure they go to
school, goes to parent meetings, etc.). For the older ones, it is a duty to take care of their
younger brothers, but this duty consumes a lot of their time (of their going to school,
learning, leisure, communication and friend relations etc).
Relation with distant relatives / neighbours / simple ‘landlords’
The results of the qualitative research pointed out that there are children left by their
parents with strangers (neighbours, people that used to be their landlords) in
exchange for an amount of money for lodging them. The case of a 12-year-old girl
lodging with her mom, her parents being divorced is very relevant. When her mother
decided to leave and work abroad, she left her daughter with the landlady she was
staying with. The interviewed 12-year-old girl believes that the lack of a person close
to her makes her feel very lonely and less optimistic about her future. What she
misses most is the open and close communication to an adult that motivates and
support her in her activities. There are many such cases. In all of them, children
believe that they cannot establish a very close relation of communication that makes
them feel in an environment favourable to the development of their personality.
Children’s relation with the parents that are away
We mentioned before the fact that when parents are absent, the relation established
between the parents that have left and the children left at home has a very important role in
the psychological-emotional development of the children. A close, open and honest relation
established with the children contributes on one side to the confidence they get in adults and
on the other to an optimistic vision about their own future. Thus, even if the parents are
away for a longer or shorter period of time, children do not feel completely abandoned.
The lack of communication and interest in the child during the absence determines
them to feel abandoned, alone and without many hopes for the future. The effects are visible
at the behavioural level. School-masters, teachers, grandparents near the children believe that
the lack of communication between the parents away and children left behind and of a
control from the parents leads to the appearance of visible effects on the children‟s
behaviour (isolation, pessimism, association with socially less desirable group to the
detriments of school etc.).
In general, parents keep contact with their children by phone, rarely on the Internet,
they occasionally send them parcels with clothes, toys and sweets and in some cases they
take their children to spend their holidays in their country of destination.
Over the next paragraphs we shall give examples of relations between children and
parents that have a positive effect over the children and examples of relationships and
attitudes from the parents that have a negative effect on the harmonious development of the
child. We shall this way be able to identify those good practices that contribute to the
development and maintenance of a good relationship and communication with the children.
Best practices pointed out / positive examples of relationship between
children and their parents that left to work abroad
The interviews carried out pointed out the fact that at present there are many cases
where, due to the fact that the parents have reached a certain financial stability in their
country of destination they can afford to keep a close and, very important, constant relation
with their children. Thus, they call their children pretty often, sometimes every day, trying to
establish a close relationship with them approaching the problems and difficulties they
confront in their everyday life. Moreover, some of them even inquire about their school
results keeping contact with the children‟s school-masters or teachers. All this confers to the
child the safety and protection he/she needs for a normal psychological-social development.
‘(...) now the relation with them is better, because they are also living better there now’
Girl, 17 years old, Iaşi, both parents away to work abroad
‘now that my parents have a certain stability there, they offer me a lot of moral support, they support me in my projects’
Girl, 18 years old, both parents away to work abroad
Equally i mportan t is for the par ent to establish a si ncer e commu nication i n whi ch he/she takes in to account the child‟s opinions, not to li e to him, no t to put him off, ignoring his capacity of understanding certai n situations. T he best r elati ons, bas ed on trus t, are established when the child knows clearly the situ ation h is paren ts are i n, in which the child, d epending on his/her curren t capacity, tak es par t in the decisions that his/her paren ts make concerning hi m/her.
‘(...) when I was little, mom used to call me rarely because she could not afford it, now she phones me often and we
decide it all together (...) at the beginning I lived with an aunt and then I moved with another one who had a second
child, and we could not live 5 people in two rooms and I needed freedom, so I decided with my mom that it was time for
me to rent lodge something, now I moved out and my mom gives me money for the landlord’
Girl, 17 years old, Iaşi, both parents away to work abroad
Negative examples with effects on the psychological-social development of
the children
As we also mentioned in the good practice examples, it is very important for this
communication established between children and parents to be constant. The study pointed
out that a communication that is not constant creates syncope and gaps in their relation.
Children grow this way apart from their parents, without finding support from them.
Moreover, for the current teenagers and youngsters, the lack of a constant communication
until now makes them even feel less comfortable neat their parents in case they meet again.
‘Not even my birthday is as it used to be, I do not feel any better when my mother phones me at 7:00 AM to wish me
Happy Birthday, I prefer them not to phone me at all and I have told them this and this is what they have done this
year’
Girl, 17 years old, Iaşi, both parents away to work abroad
‘(...) her mother left 5 years ago abroad and her daughter is now 10. For her it was a shock when she saw her mother
again after 4 years. Her mother did not keep contact with her at all, she was sending parcels rarely, but that was a long
time ago, it is a long time since she has sent something, not even on Alexandra’s birthday’
‘ (...) the girl is a bit solitary, I brought her up in a simple way, without pretensions, I help her as I can’
Grandmother, taking care of a 10-year-old girl, parents separated, mother away to work abroad
‘She keeps no contact with her mother, she does not even know her very well,..., she spoke with her two weeks ago on the
Internet, but she did not even know what to say to her...as for the rest, she speaks to the other aunts and uncles’
Grandmother, taking care of a 10-year-old girl, parents separated, mother away to work abroad
‘if she comes and stays for more than two months she becomes annoying...last year she stayed so much and I told her
that I am not used to seeing her around that much’
Girl, 18 years old, Suceava, mother away to work abroad
Another negativ e exampl e poin ted out is given by the situ ation i n which paren ts lie to their children, they pos tpone taking certai n decisions concerning them or do not tak e into consideration their right to take part i n the decisions concerni ng them too. Bas ed on the in terviews and group discu ssions with both childr en and grandparents, we can s ay that there are paren ts that li e constantl y to their children about the period they will spend abroad. They pr omise to come back at a cer tain d ate and do not keep their pr omise. All this determined a lower confidence in parents and adults in g eneral and children‟s opti mism dropped with r espect to the future of the family.
‘ I do not know when my mother will come back, she said she would come on Easter, but she did not come, she will
now come in August’
Girl, 10 years old, Piatra Neamţ, mother away to work abroad
‘ (...) this year I am going to see my dad in Greece, he promised to take me on holidays there ... last year he promised
too, but he finally did not take me, because he was ill...’
Boy, 12 years old, Iaşi, both parents away to work abroad
IV. 2. Right to health and well-being
Any child right has the right to well-being and have a perfect health condition, by access to health
and protection services
CDC, art. 6, 18 (3), 23, 24, 26, 27 (1)-(3), 33
As for the child‟s health condition and well-being, we can speak about the way they
are fed, the quality of their food and access to care and health services, as well as social
security and standard of living of this category of children.
The results of the qualitative research pointed out the fact that part of the children
whose parents have left to work abroad have a bad eating habit. For those that take care of
themselves it is the most difficult, they must prepare their food without anybody‟s help.
Most of them do not prepare food at home, choosing fast-food or semi-prepared food.
‘ She cooks once a week, the rest of the days we buy ready-made food’
Boy, 22 years old, lives with his 17-year-old sister, Suceava
In most cases, the teenage girls are the ones that cook, both in the cases in which
they are left only with their brothers and in the case only mother left from the household
and only the father is left with the children. Cooking becomes a problem when it overlaps
with other compulsory activities. For example, for the teenage girls whose mother is away to
work abroad, cooking for the rest of the family takes the time allocated to homework and
school or their spare time.
Another problem raised mainly by grandparents during the research was that of the
limited financial resources they dispose of in order to ensure the well-being (quality food,
access to educational resources, access to medical treatments in case they need it) of the
grandchildren left with them following their parents‟ departure abroad. We are talking about
those cases in which the parents that are away no longer keep contact with the children, not
even from the point of view of the financial support.
‘My daughter-in-law went away and left me with 5 children, I could not keep them all, I cannot afford, my pension
amounts to RON 138, I kept 3 of them and the other two are in placement with someone else...I cannot even feed
them, nothing’
Grandmother, taking care of 3 grandsons, Piatra Neamţ
‘All my pension is not enough to maintain them. They suffer from time to time, what can they do?’
Grandmother, taking care of two granddaughters, Suceava
The grandparen ts or o ther r elativ es can benefit from the financial assistance associated to the family pl acement s ervice. Bu t the remuneration for this s ervice was per ceived as too low to cov er the needs a child has.
‘The RON 80 I get to maintain the child is not even enough for food and children have many needs, especially when
they go to school, and at school they are asking for a lot of money and she needs many things’
Grandfather, with his wife, taking care of a 12-year-old granddaughter, Piatra Neamţ
Some of the people taking care of the children whose parents are away turn to day
centres for both the day food, medical care needed by the child, homework help and
guarantee of the participation in extracurricular activities. The service was appreciated by
most of them as offering safety and care to the children in case they cannot afford the
expenses and time resources necessary to the adequate care and education of the children.
The day centres were appreciated positively by children too. But there are cases of adult
persons, especially grandparents who although they admit the utility and benefits of the day
centre refuse this service due to the fact that they could lose the financial assistance coming
from the placement service. For many aged persons taking care of children this financial
assistance is an important source in their total revenues.
As for the access to health services, we cannot say that the children whose parents
have left to work abroad have a more reduced access as compared to the rest of the children.
At present, people from the rural environment are confronting a still reduced access to the
health services and their low quality. The problem raised however in terms of the health
condition of the children living without any of their parents is their care and orientation to
the health services as the case may be. We are taking here about mainly those children that
although from the formal point of view are in the care of an adult (relative or not), they
really live more independently without having contact with the adults taking care of them.
IV. 3. Right to education Children hav e the right to education. According to t he Co nvention, educatio n must focus o n the developm ent of t he perso nality and t alents of the child, prepari ng him fo r an activ e life as an adult
CDC, art. 28, 29
The results of the research pointed out the fact that especially in the case of
the children whose both parents are away to work abroad and are left either with their
grandparents or other relatives or acquaintances, the motivation to go to school and learn is
relatively low, with effects on the school frequency and results. This situation seems to be
seen both in the case of the younger ones, from the primary and secondary school and older
ones.
The drop of the interest in the learning activity in small children comes from the fact
that for them, the motivation to go to school and learn is still exterior, the parents being the
ones that motivate them and assist them in that activity. The study showed that the school
results of the younger ones (primary and secondary school) are very much influenced by the
attitude and care given to this aspect by the parents that have left to work abroad.
If the parent/ parents have a very close relationship both with the children left home
and the people taking care of them (they maintain them from the financial point of
view, communicate often and openly with them, give attention to the events in their
children‟s lives etc.), the children feel that their duty is to learn even more in order
not to let their parents down. Feeling safe and appreciated by their parents, children
manage to give great importance to school and learning activity.
If the parent does not communicate or communicates very rarely with the child left
home, he does not feel motivated at all to learn and take part in school activities.
That‟s why their results are poorer, a fact also due to their lower attention level in
general.
The people left home with them, normally their grandparents that assumed the role
of parents for them have an important role here. There are however rare cases in which the
grandparents manage to replace parents completely, the children being less affected by their
parents‟ departure with respect to the school activity. Here we are talking about especially he
cases in which the children are brought up, taken care of and assisted in all their activities by
grandparents ever since they are very young.
However, even if the grandparents have a close relation with their grandchildren and
give all the attention they need, they feel that the curricula and current learning rhythm
exceed their competences. Under these circumstances, the grandparents feel that they cannot
help the children with their homework, they cannot support them in the learning process. In
their turn, when the children have difficulties to understand the matter or solve certain
problems, feel somehow disoriented, not finding a support that motivates them to go on.
‘We can no longer help them with their homework, if only we could have some services, certain people where the children
could go and ask when they do not know something, we no longer are good at this, we should have some teachers that
could help them at least one hour a week especially in Maths and English...it is more difficult for us’
Focus group with grandparents taking care of children, Piatra Neamţ
For teenagers and youngsters the situ ation is a bi t different, they no longer need an external motivation to learn and go to school, although they can feel that some su pport from their par ents would help them get mobilized.
‘(...) I cannot wake up at 6:00 AM and sometimes I skip classes the whole day; twice a week I do not feel like going
to school; but I am good at school’
Girl, 16 years old, both parents away to work abroad
They s till feel the need of the paren ts‟ par ticipation i n the decision-making process with r espect to their futur e wi th respect to what s chool, high-school or facul ty to go to.
‘When I had to take the high-school exam I felt the need to talk more to my mom and dad, to consult with them’
Girl, 17 years old, both parents away to work abroad, Suceava
Among teenagers and youngsters again, the lack of a control and permanent support
in the school activity turned out to have negative results with respect to the importance
given to school. When they remain without their parents‟ attention, some of them abandon
school to the detriment of other activities perceived to be more motivating for them at
present: a small „business‟ of which they are making some money, association with certain
groups etc.
‘Grandparents are older, easier to ignore and that’s why me and my brother finally abandoned school. 6 months ago a
lady from the Town Hall called and came to see how we were getting along and told us that we would better go back to
school’
Boy, 16 years old, both parents away to work abroad, no longer keeps contact with any of them, Iaşi
The interviews with teachers, representatives of town halls and welfare and child
protection directions pointed out that there are measures taken at the local level and within
the directions in order to prevent school dropout. The school notifies either the Town Hall,
or the Welfare Direction on each case of school dropout or high risk cases. These cases are
then verified and they are trying to get the children under age that abandoned school back to
continue their school activity.
But in order to prevent the situations of school dropout, absenteeism or lower
results, the research revealed the fact that in schools/high-schools there is not a clear system
meant to approach these cases yet, as an answer to the new phenomenon. There are
however various initiatives of the teachers especially, motivated by the fact that they are
closer to their pupils. They try to speak to the child at which they notice a drop of interest in
school, with the child that has the tendency to isolate himself from the others etc. Moreover,
depending on the possibilities, teachers also contact the adults taking care of these children.
In some schools, both some of the school-masters and teachers give part of their time
helping with the homework the children asking for it or the ones that get lower results. But
we cannot yet say that this is a practice that we meet regularly.
Another problem raised especially by teachers and representatives of the welfare
directions and departments at the local level is the lack of a school counsellor from most
schools. At present, theoretically there is one school counsellor for 800 pupils, practically
very few pupils benefit from the constant activity of a school counsellor. According to the
teachers, they would manage better to communicate and solve the problem of the children in
these situations.
Both school-masters and teachers believe that the extracurricular activities could
contribute positively to motivating the child for the educational programme, especially of the
younger ones of the primary and secondary school. Nature trips, to the mountains, to parks,
visiting museums, sports contests or other kinds of contests are activities that make children
have a positive attitude towards school. But the lack of funds and extra hours given to
teachers for these activities limit to a great extent the realization and carrying out of
extracurricular activities.
IV. 4. Right to opinion and participation
Any child has the right to express freely his/her opinion regarding any problem or procedure
concerning him/her, and his opinion must be taken into consideration with respect, depending on
his/her degree of maturity
CDC, art. 12, 13, 15, 17
The research revealed the fact that the right to participation and opinion regarding
the decisions that also affect and concern the child are observed by parents only to a small
extent. Parents start informing their children about the decisions made only after a certain
age of the child, normally around 16-18. We could say that only close to maturity, close to
the age of 18, the parent starts to take into account what his/her own child believes and
feels. The explanation of this fact is found in the „protective‟ type culture. Parents believe
that they know what is „good‟ or „bad‟ for their own child, being less receptive and attentive
to what the child might think and say. In this sense, most interviewed children, of different
ages, did not take part in the decision made by the parent/parents to leave and work abroad.
Most of the young ones, 8-12 years old, were not only announced about the departure after
the departure had taken place.
‘When my mother left I was sleeping, she did not even say she was leaving...
And why did she leave?
I don’t know’
Focus group discussion 8-12 years old, one or both parents abroad, boy, Suceava
The interviews and group discussions with the teenagers pointed out certain good
with respect to the granting of the right to take part in the decision concerning them. There
are families, very few however, in which the departure of one or both parents was discussed
within the family with the children that took part in the decision made.
As a conclusion, the idea to involve the child, depending on his/her maturity,
in making a decision concerning himself/herself was for him another motivation to
make greater efforts in order to adapt to the subsequent situation, the absence of the
parents.
IV. 5. Right to spare time, leisure and cultural activities
The child has the right to spare time, leisure and engaging in cultural and artistic activities adequate
to his/her age
CDC, art. 31
The way in which the children whose parents have left to work abroad spend their
spare time is very varied and depends mostly on the situation they have in the family. For the
cases in which the mother is away from home, part of the household activities are taken over
by the children, both girls and boys, occupying their spare time. This happens more when we
are talking about a household in the rural environment, where there are much more activities
necessary to take care of the household than in the urban environment.
‘How were these two years without your mother? Was it more difficult? Was it easier?
Much more difficult. We had to do things she was doing
What exactly? How were her jobs distributed?
My brother and I cleaned and cooked
And can you cook?
Yes, we knew from our mom’
Two brothers, 12 and 7 years old, mother away to work abroad, Pătrăuţi, Suceava County
There are cases in which almost all the children‟s spare time is occupied with
household activities, becoming a burden for them to replace temporarily their parents in
household maintenance. For some children the situation is the same if they live with their
grandparents.
‘Until now I have lived with Grandma, but I don’t like it there.
Why don’t you like it at Grandma’s?
Because she used to make me work all day, she did not let me alone at all, she would tell me to sweep the courtyard,
wash the dishes, clean the cooker, cook polenta, potatoes’
Girl, 9 years old, parents separated, mother away to work abroad, Suceava.
But for most children living with their grandparents the situation was better in the
sense that the grandparents participate in most of the household activities, giving the
children the possibility to spend their spare time as they wish. The problem raised by the
children living with their grandparents regarding their spare time is the absence of the latter‟s
availability for certain activities that suppose more movement and energy, as their parents
who are younger have. Moreover, the possibilities to spend their spare time with their
grandparents are much reduced, grandparents do not go on trips, they do not go picnic, they
do not go fishing, activities preferred by most children, especially the younger ones.
As for the existing opportunities and possibilities to spend their spare time, they
were perceived by children as being relatively reduced both in the rural and urban
environment. They believe that there are not many places where they could meet children of
their age. Among the most frequent modalities to spend spare time, the children enumerated
the following ones: watching certain TV programmes, computer games, Internet browsing,
going out with friends.
IV. 6. Right to non-discrimination/ Social inclusion
All children, no matter their ethnic origin, religion, financial situation, health etc. must enjoy all the
rights, the State having the obligation to protect children against all discrimination forms. The State
must observe the rights of the child and carry out positive actions to promote them.
Taking into consideration the fact that one of the fundamental rights of the child is
non-discrimination, the research also took into account this aspect. It was meant to
point out the way these children feel they are treated and moreover, the way they are
seen in society, by the image promoted by the mass-media and possible impact over
them.
The results of the qualitative study have pointed out the fact that we cannot talk
about negative discrimination in the case of this category of children; the children whose
parents have left to work abroad feel and have been perceived as treated the same way as the
rest of the children by both the people that are taking care of them and the teachers, there
isn‟t a negative attitude towards them. We can even say that right now there is a special care
and attention given to this category of children, the mass media broadcasting widely the
particular situations that some of these children are in. That‟s why, in the opinion of some of
the participants in the study, a special attention is required for the distinction between
children whose parents have left to work abroad and children who have their parents with
them in order not to disfavour the latter in any way limiting their access to certain services
and/or participation in certain activities. There are cases in which in certain schools
organized activities only with children who have one or both parents away to work abroad,
raising questions and discontent among the other children in school.
As for the image these children have in society, especially the image promoted by the
mass-media, some aspects must be mentioned. At present the mass-media focuses especially
on the negative emotional effects over children, on the way they suffer from the absence of
their parents, on their disadvantaged situation, which on one side draws the authorities‟
attention towards this category but at the same time stigmatizes all children in that situation.
The recommendations of the participants in the study were meant to complete this
promoted image by giving more attention to the solutions for this category of children, to all
available services that both the children and the people taking care of them can turn to. It is
therefore necessary for the mass-media to become an information resource that promotes
the cases of good practices that can represent a source of inspiration for everybody
interested in the situation of these children – parents, teachers, people taking care of the
children whose parents have left to work abroad, public services or non-governmental
organization specialists. Even more, it would be necessary to promote the way in which all
the rights of these children are observed.
V. National Authority for Child Rights Protection – overview on the situation at the national level of the number of children left without parents as a result of migration and implemented measures
This chapter represents the position of ANPDC, being drawn up by Mrs. Elena Tudor,
of the Children Rights Monitoring Direction, ANPDC
At the local level, the responsibility of the identification and support of those social
cases concerning children whose parents have left to work abroad corresponds to the Public
Welfare Services that according to the provisions of art. 33 of Law 47/2006 are the ones that
identify the social needs of the community and solve them according to the law.
Under these circumstances, the adoption of measures meant to help for a better
quantification of the number of families affected by the departure to work abroad and
children left in the country to be taken care of relatives or other people or in the services
offered by the special protection system, at the same time with the identification of the
solutions meant to develop and diversify the services that will be offered to children
depending on the particularity of each case was decided.
The National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of the Child has showed a
continuous and constant preoccupation for the management of this phenomenon, taking a
series of measures meant to allow both its better monitoring and the implementation of
measures meant to limit or attenuate the negative effects that the absence of one or both
parents from the life of a child can generate.
The State Secretary of the National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of the
Child elaborated this way the Order 219/2006 on the activities of identification, intervention
and monitoring of children that lack the care of their parents while the latter are working
abroad.
The purpose of the adoption of such a normative act was to render responsible the
institutions that have attributions in the domain of protection of the right of the child and
involve them actively in identifying the children whose parents have left to work abroad and
offer support services for them, namely the Public Welfare Services existing in each
administrative-territorial unit and the General Welfare and Child Protection Directions in
every county/district.
On the other hand the measure of the compulsoriness to notify the Public Welfare
Services/ residence Town Hall by the Romanian citizens supporting children that want to
obtain a contract to work abroad, as well as the nomination of the person that will take care
and support the children was introduced.
The purpose of the introduction of this measure with a character of novelty was to
allow in a clear and transparent manner the monitoring at the local and central authorities of
the exact situation of the number of children left in the country that are being taken care of
by relatives or other people, after their parents left to work abroad. The same order also
proposed the model of a new tool of reporting and registering the transmitted cases, the
National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of the Child.
The centralization of the data reported according to the aforementioned order
turned out not to reflect the real situation of the number of children whose parents have left
to work abroad, as the aforementioned Order referred only to the parents who are taking
care of children under age and want to obtain a contract to work abroad. On 30.09.2006 the
number of children reported by the Public Welfare Services was very low, 20,945 children, as
compared to the number of people that left to work abroad.
In the line of a continuous adoption of measures meant to identify the needs of the
children whose parents have left to work abroad, ANPDC has decided to extend the
monitoring of these children including in one of the monitoring tools – the Quarterly
Monitoring Fiche – a separate chapter dedicated to this category. The centralized data is
more detailed, the Public Welfare Services reporting this way separately the number of
children who have both parents working abroad, one parent or the single supporting parent.
The Quarterly Monitoring Fiche is transmitted to our institution by each of the 47
DGASPCs in the country, after centralizing the data transmitted from the local level. We can
see this way at the central level what is the distribution of this phenomenon from the point
of view of the most affected geographical areas.
Unfortunately the efficiency of this measure could still not be quantified at its true
value due to the fact that many of the town halls belonging to different administrative-
territorial units all over the country, through the Public Welfare Services did not transmit the
requested data (at the first reporting afferent to the month of September 2006, over 750 of
the administrative-territorial units did not transmit this data) although these structures in the
town halls belonging to all communes/towns/municipalities are habilitated to get involved
actively in the monitoring and analysis of the children‟s situation, including that of the
children whose parents are away to work abroad. Their lack of cooperation leads to the
impossibility to get an accurate image of this phenomenon that allows ANPDC to evaluate
the situation at the national level and propose measures meant to ensure the observance of
these children‟s rights.
After the decentralization of the data within the National Authority for the
Protection of the Rights of the Child we found that at the end of June 2007, over 82,000
children whose parents had left to work abroad were identified, of which over 35,000 had
both parents or single supporting parent, this representing the number of identified children,
without being able to state what the real number is.
Of the total number of children left home over 77,800 were taken cared of by
relatives, without having an established special protection measure and only nearly 2,400
were in the special protection system.
Again in the line of the measures taken by the National Authority for the Protection
of the Rights of the Child to support children whose parents have left to work abroad, a
National Interest Programme dedicated to this category of beneficiaries – „Development of
the community social service network for children and family and support to families in
crisis in order to prevent the separation of the child from his/her family‟ was approved for
2007 (Resolution no. 633/2007).
The objective of the implementation of this programme is to diversify and develop
the already-created day services, especially the day centres, as well as facilitate the access of as
many children whose parents have left to work abroad as possible to these services.
VI. Overview on the current services addressed to children
whose parents left abroad to work
In this chapter, we aim at making a short assessment of the way the activity to
identify and monitor the children with one or both parents left abroad to work is perceived
and achieved at the level of the units performing this activity, while identifying the services
developed within the public institutions where children and those who support them may
refer to.
Following the qualitative interviews with the persons who support the children
whose parents left abroad to work and with representatives of DGASPC and public social
assistance services, it may be concluded that there is currently no monitoring system for this
category of children, which is perfectly functional and offers concrete results with regard to
the control and reduction of the negative consequences caused by the parents‟ absence. We
cannot say yet that we have a clear and reality-based estimation of the number of children
with parents left abroad to work. Furthermore, we are still in the process of assessing the
dimensions of this new phenomenon with an aim to develop services according to the
current needs of the children and their parents. However, it can be said that the process of
cases identification and monitoring, initiated and developed by ANPDC, is being perfected
from one reported case to another, more and more children in this situation being identified.
Within the current context, the monitoring is achieved by the local authorities, based
on the lists and situations received from the schools at the beginning of each school year or
semester, depending on the case. This identification method by means of schools has proven
to be efficient, considering that the schools are the institutions which have the closest
contact with the children, with only one limitation: it is offered only the image of children
above 6 years of age, when they start school, while a large category of children remains
under anonymity, including the children who abandon school.
„There are still certain obstacles, for example the real number of children who are left without parents may not be
quantified, not all the cases may be identified and implicitly we cannot know where the children under school age are left
and in whose care, because the evidence of the children registered in schools is being kept at the school level, this is where
it is being recorded whether their parents have left, whom they were left with, whether they are missing from school, the
cases of school dropout…. But for the little ones there is still no operating monitoring system”
„ (...) Cases monitoring can be achieved more easily in small communes, as they know each other there and it is easier
for the local communities to monitor them, but in the cities, and especially large cities, the monitoring is made through
notifications from the neighbours and through the collaboration with the schools, which send lists with the situation of
children whose parents are left abroad to work...”
Representative of DGASPC Neamţ
In rural areas, although the identification seems easier, smaller communities being
involved, it encounters difficulties due to the lack of specialized social assistants and the
resources necessary to perform this activity under optimum conditions.
The local authorities have the duty to identify and assess the situation of each child
left at home without one or both parents. The plan is that, following the assessment, the
needs of the respective family, the children‟s and of those who support them would be
established and, depending on these needs, they would be directed towards various services
in order to prevent any risk situation. For the cases where an intervention is considered
necessary, either through counselling services, or special measures applied, the collaboration
with the Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate is developed. For the more
serious cases which require a special protection measure, the Directorate‟s role increases.
„We try to enforce Order 219 according to which our role is to make an initial assessment of these children, to identify
them, for how many of them a special protection measure has been established, under which form they were left by their
parents in the care of other persons. There are cases when the parents establish a legal empowerment, there are situations
when, following discussions, it rests with some persons more or less alien to the family to take care of the children. We
draw up an initial assessment report for each child in this situation. In the event that the assessment report recommends
family counselling, we try to collaborate with the Child Protection in order to provide services as complex as possible”
Representative of SPAS Suceava
„Firstly, the mayoralty, the local authorities are bound to assess, draw up a service plan and, in the event that,
according to the service plan, the establishment of a protection measure is proposed and required, we are bound to notify
the Child Protection Commission.
And what does that mean?
If the child is in a placement situation, the moment we are notified that the child is left in the care of a person who can
no longer be responsible of him/her, we can under no circumstance keep the placement with that respective person. The
child consequently enters the system of maternal assistance or the strictly residential system.
Does it happen often that a child whose parents are left abroad to work is in this situation?
Nevertheless, I believe that most children are left with persons who assume some responsibilities and take care of them.
We act only in the cases when this does not happen”
Representative of DGASPC Neamţ
A very important aspect is that, at the institutional level, the collaboration between
the public institutions is established and developed in order to better meet the needs and
issues of the community. For example, in order to prevent school dropout, the schools
communicate and notify the DGASPCs or SPASs. Regardless of the place where the
notification is made, the collaboration is also developed by means of the specialized service
at the level of the social assistance directorate, house visits are carried out etc.
„ For example, we receive notification from a school regarding a certain pupil whose situation is disastrous from the
viewpoint of absences, school situation and whose parents are left abroad to work … we are told to take measures in
order to prevent school dropout. In such situations, given the fact that the Social Assistance and Child Protection
Directorate has a specialized service, we contact them. There are many cases when we collaborate, cases when only they
interfere and cases when we alone interfere, depending on where the notification arrives and its nature. Nevertheless, we
always notify the Directorate as well, it is possible that they have already been notified and have already taken
measures”
Representative of SPAS, Suceava
A series of issues in working with this category of children has also been mentioned
with regard to the judicial aspect of the situation of a child who is temporarily left without
parents – the legal representatives of the child. For example, the Social Assistance and Child
Protection Directorate reports the absence of a legal representative of the child who is left at
home in the care of other persons than the parents.
„ Furthermore, if the child lives with his/her grandmother, even though there exists a legal act, we cannot say that she
represents the child. She represents him/her regarding the management of goods, but if something happens with the
child, i.e. if he/she steals or does something else, he/she does not even have a legal representative. That is also a
problem”
Representative of DGASPC Iaşi
Services that may currently be referred to:
Based on the discussions with the representatives of the social assistance directorates
and public services, several services were identified within the public system to which the
target public may refer to
Counselling and orientation services, either provided by the social assistant at
the place of domicile of the children and those who support them or within
the local council, at the “Counselling service for children and family”
“Day care”-type services to which it can be appealed for various reasons:
either material if the grandparents or other persons who take care of
these children cannot afford the children‟s full or partial support;
either time-related, especially in the case of families where the parent who
remained at home or the grandparents are still employed;
either to acknowledge the need to get help with the children‟s education,
there are many grandparents who appeal to day-care centres because they
do not have the availability to help the children with home-works and in
the learning process etc.;
In the event of some protection measures, the establishment of guardian
services (subsidiary and temporary means of protection for the child) for the
situations where it was found that the parents no longer maintain contact
with the children.
„The services currently addressed to this category are the services of identification-assessment-counselling, parental courses
and day-care centres…we shall develop a strategy in the future”
Representative of SPAS Suceava
(...) we go to the family, some discussion meetings are established, provided that there is also a desire from their part.
The social assistant is very important, as are his/her abilities to make the family to want these things. Then you should
try to discuss about the child’s life, his/her problems, how they can be solved, leaving it to the family to take the decision
they consider right”
Representative of SPAS Suceava
„The counselling service would be the most important...we have now also a mobile team including a psychologist and a
social assistant who go from centre to centre”
„As a complementary service for the children who stay with their grandparents with reduced possibilities is the day-care
centre service. Children are provided there with food, supervision, assistance with their home-works, etc.”
Representative of DGASPC Neamţ
„There are the day-care centres, most of the children who go to day-care centres are in this situation. Their parents are
abroad and they were left at home with their grandparents. Communication problems appear. A faulty communication
has consequences both on the children and on those who take care of them. At the day-care centres, the children are
provided with food, help with their home-works, possibility to communicate with each other and those who work there
and assist them. They can also talk with a psychologist counsellor”
„As protection measures, there are children for which we have established guardian services for the situations in which it
was found that the parents no longer maintain contact with the children, no longer send money at home and nobody
knows anything about them”
Representative of SPAS Suceava
Proposals/ Solutions foreseen at the level of Directorates and local Authorities
Both at the level of the DGASPCs and SPASs of the three counties included in this
research, the following solutions for the children whose parents left abroad to work were
identified, some of them being applied at the level of the institutions they belong to, others
being still at the project stage and others related to other institutions:
Awareness campaigns for the risks related to the children who are left at
home without parental care, targeting both parents and the community;
Courses and seminaries of parental education organized periodically at the
local councils level;
Existence of a school counsellor for each school, so that they could monitor
and give counselling to all the children who have issues related to
communication, behaviour, lowered school results, absenteeism etc.;
Involvement to the largest extent of NGOs in providing concrete services
aiming this category of children;
Development of more children‟s clubs with an aim to offer them beneficial
ways to spend their free time.
„We can develop awareness campaigns, not only for parents, but for the whole community, i.e. for everybody, including
those who do not have children in this situation, but it is important to know how they can behave with the children of
their neighbour who left abroad to work”
„For example, we have established a club, if I am not mistaken through Save the Children, in a rather large commune;
it is a club for the children who benefit from maternal assistance, it is a commune where there are many children in
maternal assistance. The system works perfectly, there are courses attended by these children… I was thinking that such
a club may also be established for the children in this category, with parents left abroad to work. However, the other
children already feel it as a discrimination, as they themselves do not have entertainment, play clubs, etc.”
Representative of DGASPC Neamţ
„We’ve organized parental education courses and received positive feedback from the participants. We realized that the
communication desire exists, we realized that the grandparents and aunts feel overwhelmed with this role they took over
more or less aware of. They agreed without knowing what will come. We try to make these persons become aware of the
fact that there are methods available to everybody in order to efficiently communicate and remove the stress related to the
fact that they have additional responsibilities, so that the child can benefit as well, but also these persons who are of good
faith most of the times, who want to do something, but they do not always have the necessary methods available, even
though they are very simple”
„These parental education courses started based on the findings on the field, on the children’s needs which were notified”
„We would continue with the parental education courses, as we saw they were useful. Some of the meetings may also be
attended by the children. Closeness is then achieved between them and those who take care of them in order to better
understand each other, to switch places. We even had role-plays.”
„Furthermore, it should be discussed with the parents in the following way: what do they gain if they stay?, what do they
gain if they leave?, what do they lose if they stay?, what do they lose if they leave? It’s a SWOT analysis where threats
and opportunities need to be considered”
„There is a plan for each school to have a school counsellor. The school counsellors should identify the children who have
problems and notify it. We also try a partnership with them in this regard”
Representative of SPAS Suceava
„ I would involve the NGOs for these children, because the institutions have extraordinarily vast cases. The NGOs
can make more interventions than we do”
Representative of DGASPC Iaşi
VII. Good practice examples related to the target group – Description
of the project „We are your friends” developed by a school in
Suceava
The project was initiated by Mrs. Carmen Mihaela Plăcintă
and coordinated together with Mrs. Lucica Cosovan and
Mrs. Dorica Cîmpan
During the school year 2006/ 2007 the school with 1st-8th grades „Miron Costin”
from Suceava developed the project „We are your friends” within the educational
programme for children‟s rights and promotion of equal opportunities. The project‟s target
group were children whose parents left abroad to work and aimed to identify the cognitive
and socially emotional needs of this category of children.
This initiative of the educators was based on the fact that there were 234 pupils in
that school whose parents were left abroad to work, out of which 88 were in the 1st-4th
grades during the school year 2006-2007. Starting from their own observations on the
attitude and behaviour of the children who had parents left abroad to work, on their school
results and the needs they manifested, the educators initiated the project “We are your
Friends”, aiming to support and tackle some of the issues faced by the children who
temporarily lack the parental care. The main purpose was to partially replace the lack of the
children‟s family.
The project was developed during the school year 2006/ 2007 only for the pupils
from 1st to 4th grades, following to be extended to the gymnasium cycle after the assessments
made at the end of the school year 2007/ 2008.
The objectives set by the educators from „Miron Costin” school were the following:
Offer assistance and support in preparing their home-works;
Offer support to this category of children in their learning process by means of
certain additional activities: tutoring them in various subjects in order to avoid failure
or having to repeat the year;
Increase the cooperation between these children and the educators;
Develop the children‟s communication abilities;
Identify the children‟s passions and concerns with a view to orientating them
towards their achievement;
Develop and encourage the manifestation of the personal qualities of each child
involved in the project;
Increase the degree of information and education related to the rights and
responsibilities of the children whose parents are left abroad;
Reduce the risk of being exploited through work by the relatives or neighbours in
whose care the children have been left;
Increase the degree of participation in the decisions that concern the child directly;
Establish sports clubs where they could spend their free time.
All these objectives materialized in various activities, carried out 2-3 times a month,
activities which consisted in:
Counselling children on self-knowledge topics aiming to discover their personal
qualities and valorise them;
Performing various practical works (which were subsequently sent to the parents on
certain occasions) aiming to develop the children‟s imagination and creativity;
Discussions and debates aiming to identify the expectations, needs and desires that
children have from the others;
Discussions, debates and practical activities aiming to teach the children how to
organize their time;
Discussions and debates related to their motivation to learn;
Preparing home-works in an assisted way;
Contests with prizes;
Meetings with health-care staff and Community Police officers from Suceava, aiming
to discourage school dropout, juvenile delinquency and the risk of exploitation
through work;
The educators who volunteered in this educational project managed to arouse
children‟s interest by offering them sweets, leaflets, information about the current events,
mascots, flags, etc. Also, all the members of the project drew up psycho-pedagogical
characterization sheets with a view to fully knowing the psycho-pedagogical profile and the
required measures in this regard.
Furthermore, the project‟s coordinators organized with part of the children
registered in the project a trip in Bistriţa Năsăud and Maramureş counties, which offered the
children the possibility to socialize and spend their free time in a pleasant way, desired by
most of them.
Within this project, it was also established the need to counsel the adults who take
care of the children whose parents left abroad to work. Monthly working groups were
organized to be attended by both the parents who remained in the country and those who
take care of the children. They attended training courses on:
the family‟s role and importance in the education and early development of the child;
the support methods in early intervention;
the analysis of parental styles promoted by the children‟s parents or supervisors in
the relationships with them;
the awareness of the risks that the children whose parents left abroad to work are
subject to;
identifying the solutions to the adjustment problems of children etc.
The project developed in other schools as well, in partnership with the Ministry of
Education, Research and Youth, the County Inspectorate of Suceava, the Association of the
Educators from Suceava, the Mayoralty of Suceava and other institutions involved in
children‟s education.
The project‟s results were disseminated by means of a set of leaflets and posters,
mass-media, articles published in the local and national press, on the Internet on school sites
and also on the discussion group www.didactic.ro/forum.
The project was developed through the voluntary involvement of the educators,
pupils, those who take care of the children from the target group. Moreover, this project
benefited from the voluntary involvement of museology specialists, librarians, civil servants
and medical staff.
Even though the assessment of this program is to be made after the end of the
school year 2007/2008, it may be mentioned that the project was received with interest and
openness especially by the pupils, but also by those who temporarily take care of them.
It should also be mentioned the limitation of this project, i.e. the fact that it
addresses only the children whose parents are left abroad to work, differentiating thus
between the children who live with their parents and the children who temporarily lack
parental care. These differences were felt by the children who did not participate in the
project, especially also because of the fact that few extracurricular activities are usually
performed in school, on the grounds of lack of resources (human and material).
Beyond this limitation, it should be appreciated the initiative of these educators who
voluntarily initiated and developed this project, as an answer to the increased number of
children temporarily or permanently deprived of parental care and to the issues related
because of it.
VIII. RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS
The right to family and protection
In this chapter, the research aimed to emphasize the main elements contributing to
ensuring a proper family environment for the children‟s harmonious development in well
conditions. The family context, the persons whom the children are left to live with and the
relationships established with these persons have proven to be essential. Also, the
relationship that the parents who left succeed to establish and maintain with their children at
home was emphasized as having an overwhelming role in the attitude and behaviour that the
child will adopt during their absence.
The following aspects were emphasized:
The mother‟s absence is more often and more intense felt by the majority of the
target group, both due to the fact that she is the one who handles most of the
housework, which, in her absence, remains the children‟s responsibility, and to the
fact that mothers usually manage to build a close relationship and an open
communication with the children;
One aspect which was highlighted as being very important is the communication and
understanding established between the children and the adults they live with. Mainly
the teenagers feel the need for constant and close communication with a parent or a
relative where they could find the support they need if they have to make certain
decisions considered very important in their life;
Communication problems appear especially between children and grandparents,
perceived as being caused by the large difference between the value systems adopted
by each of them, the different lifestyles and the reduced capacity of the elderly to
adapt to the new social values, modern lifestyles, which are close to the youth;
The communication problems appeared seem to be more serious in the case of
young teenagers who, in general, cannot be controlled by the grandparents;
Teenage-girls seem to adapt more easily to the relationship with the grandparents,
but they perceive the need to have a closer and more open communication with
them, as they had with their mothers;
The relationships that the parents who left establish with the children at home was
perceived by the children and those who are left to take care of them as having a
major importance in the children‟s attitude and behaviour: a close, constant, trust
and sincerity-based relationship help the children in accepting their absence more
easily, continuing to be involved in the social life and having a desirable social
behaviour, while the absence of a relationship with the parents proved to have
isolation effects, lack of self-confidence, decrease of school results, absenteeism and
even school-abandonment, lack of involvement and participation to extracurricular
activities, leading even to undesirable social behaviours and attitudes (breaking of the
law, violence etc.).
The results of the qualitative research reveal the fact that there is a category of
minors who are not under the direct supervision of an adult (parent, relative or
acquaintance) and therefore, they do not benefit from a proper family environment for their
normal psychological and emotional development. They are generally over 13-14 years of age
and being considered as almost adults, they are left by their parents on their own, without
grandparents or other relatives. It was emphasized the fact that the risk of school dropout,
breaking the law, drug use are higher for this category of children.
The right to health and well-being
With regard to food, personal care and health of the children who have one or both
parents left abroad to work, the qualitative research revealed the following
Part of the children in this situation proved to eat less healthily. In this
situation are:
• teenagers who are left alone without the direct supervision of an
adult – they cannot prepare a proper meal on a daily basis;
• children of various ages who are left in the care of the grandparents
and who maintain no sort of contact with the parents – they do not
benefit from enough financial resources needed for food and good
health;
Food preparation falls most of the times in the responsibility of the teenage-
girls, young girls, an activity which consumes their time for school and home-
works preparation, as well as their free time (an aspect approached in more
details in the chapter related to free time);
No difference was observed between the state of health of the children
whose parents are at home and the children who do not live with their
parents, but a risk situation is perceived for the latter, on the grounds of a
lower attention on them from the part of the parents.
Mainly, the children who are left without both parents as a result of the migration for
a workplace present to a greater extent the following needs:
Access to quality food through proper preparation hereof on a daily basis;
Access to quality food through ensuring the appropriate financial needs;
The need for primary medical care and orientation to the appropriate medical
services;
Ensuring the access to medical services.
“Day-care centre”-type services were perceived as being very useful both by the
adults and the children and moreover, they were considered as replacing to a great extent the
absence of parents in ensuring the children‟s care.
The right to education
With regard to the education, the results of the focus-groups and the interviews
highlighted the following aspects:
There is a tendency for school dropout among the teenagers, especially boys, whose
parents are left abroad to work;
The tendency for absenteeism is manifested also among the teenagers, both girls and
boys. There are cases of youngsters whose parents are left abroad to work who
accumulate many absences from school, being even on the edge of being expelled;
Absenteeism may appear in certain situations even to the small children from
primary and gymnasium cycles;
A lack of interest for school and home-works is observed in the case of both small
and older children, on the background of a lack of control from an adult with
authority on them;
Small children and sometimes teenagers face difficulties in doing their home-works
and understanding the subjects at school, feeling the need for help from an adult
who may get involved in this activity/ who would assist them in the parents‟
absence;
In the families where the mother is the one who left, the girls spend a large part of
their time with household activities, sometimes in the detriment of school schedule
and home-works preparation;
At the school level, there still lacks a clear system to approach the children whose
parents are left and who manifest a decrease of their motivation for school. Only in
the cases of school dropout does the educational institution announce either the
child protection directorates or the social assistance services/departments within the
mayoralties;
The existence of extracurricular programmes and activities proved to have a positive
impact on the children with regard to their motivation to come to school. This
attitude, behaviour, can be observed especially in children from primary and
gymnasium cycles.
The right to opinion and participation
The child, regardless of his/her age, is granted to a small extent the right to
participate in the parents‟ decision to leave abroad to work;
The small children, up to 12-13 years of age, are not only excluded from being
consulted with regard to the parents‟ decision to leave home for a given period of
time, but most of the times they are not even informed about the leave, until the
moment it happens;
The child feels the lack of both information and participation in the decision in a
negative way, with consequences on the attitude and behaviour developed in the
parents‟ absence from home.
The right to spare time, leisure and cultural activities
Children who come from families where the mother is left have more household
activities, which consume their free time;
In the rural areas, the share of the household activities is much higher, which is why
the children‟s free time is more reduced;
The possibilities to spend their free time with the grandparents are reduced due to
lack of their availability, on the one side for the playing activity and on the other side
for the activities which involve movement, such as picnics, trips etc.
The possibilities to spend their free time were perceived by children as being reduced
in general, both in urban and in rural areas.
The right to non-discrimination / social inclusion
We cannot talk about negative discrimination of children whose parents are left
abroad to work; there is rather the tendency to protect this category of children in
society;
The focus at the social level and in the mass-media is rather laid on the suffering and
disadvantaged situation of these children and less on the way in which their rights are
observed or on the solutions to their problems, the concrete services that they can
access; In this context, the children feel rather as “victims”, increasing thus the
negative effects of their parents‟ absence from home.
Public social assistance services that the target group may currently refer to:
Based on the discussions with the representatives of the social assistance directorates
and public services, several services were identified within the public system where the target
group may refer to
Counselling and orientation services, either provided by the social assistant at
the place of domicile of the children and those who support them or within
the local council, at the “Counselling service for children and family”
“Day care”-type services to which it can be appealed for various reasons:
either material if the grandparents or other persons who take care of
these children cannot afford the children‟s full or partial support;
either time-related, especially in the case of families where the parent who
remained at home or the grandparents are still employed;
either to acknowledge the need to get help with the children‟s education,
there are many grandparents who appeal to day-care centres because they
do not have the availability to help the children with home-works and the
in learning process etc.;
In the event of some protection measures, the establishment of guardian
services for the situations where it was found that the parents no longer
maintain contact with the children.
IX. RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations presented at the end of this research were identified and
formulated together with the representatives of the main institutions in charge to promote
and enforce the children‟s rights, starting from the analysis of the qualitative research
conducted. Thus, Save the Children invited to a round table the representatives of ANPDC,
MoERY, DGASPC and SPAS as well as school inspectors from Bucharest and the three
locations where the qualitative research was conducted: Iaşi, Suceava and Neamţ, with an
aim to jointly identify the best solutions and services destined for the children whose parents
are left abroad to work.
The recommendations target both prevention through reducing the negative
consequences due to the temporary absence of parents and intervention in the cases which
require it.
i. Information and awareness campaigns addressed to parents
Organization, both by the public institutions and the NGOs, of
information campaigns for the parents with a view to acknowledging the
risks assumed by leaving abroad to work;
Organization of information campaigns for parents with regard to the
major aspects they need to consider during their temporary absence from
home (how to communicate with the children, how to maintain their
relationship with them, the importance of giving the child the right to
participate in the decisions that concern them etc.)
through posters, leaflets distributed in public places and
especially near the centres where the work-abroad
applications are submitted;
during parents‟ meetings;
by means of organizing trainings with the parents;
parents‟ counselling activities;
ii. Awareness campaigns within the Romanian communities in the
destination countries
Both through promoting the negative and positive aspects related to the
children‟s evolution in the parents‟ absence;
Activities developed by means of the churches, NGOs from those
countries and Romanian consulates;
iii. Development of counselling services for the persons who take care of the
children whose parents are both left
Ensuring counselling services for as many persons as possible who take
care of the children whose parents are left abroad to work with a view to
facilitating the communication between them and the children;
Courses and trainings especially for the grandparents in whose care are
left the children by the parents who leave abroad to work;
iv. Increase of the school counsellors network
Existence of a school counsellor in each school unit;
Developing specific activities both with children whose parents are left
and with the others;
v. Increase of School-after-School-type programmes
It was proposed the institutionalization of these programmes through
state budget financings;
Free access to these programmes for the children with reduced
financial possibilities;
Finding payment ways for the teachers involved;
Organizing special classes for consultations and explanations for the
children who have questions and misunderstandings related to the
subject taught, home-works received etc.;
Increasing the extracurricular activities organized at the level of the
school unit with a view to increasing the children‟s motivation for the
educational activity;
vi. Multiplication and expansion of the day-care centres
Additional medical check-ups are recommended within these centres
for this category of children (cultural homes, sports halls etc.)
vii. Development of more clubs for children with an aim to offer them
beneficial ways to spend their free time;
Identifying the spaces which may shelter such clubs at the local level;
viii. Media campaigns to promote solutions and opportunities for these
children, positive examples
ix. Organization of promotion campaigns aiming at employment
opportunities in the country;
Not in the last place, it is recommended:
x. Development of a mobilization and intervention strategy at the local level
Establishing and expanding the SPASs at the local level
Establishing consultative groups at the local level
Accelerating the enforcement of the prevention and intervention
measures provided by law: identification and monitoring of as many
families as possible with children whose parents are both left abroad to
work;
Rendering the awareness of the local leaders elect with a view to
allocating funds from the local budgets for the protection of children in
need and implicitly of children whose parents are left.
These measures proposed require the involvement and especially the
collaboration of as many social actors as possible – both NGOs, central and local
authorities (with the involvement of social services, school inspectorates and police)
and educators, employers or mass-media. Correlation and unification of the efforts
represent an essential step in ensuring the observance of the rights guaranteed,
through CDC, to all children, regardless of whether they benefit from their parents’
presence or not.
X. ANNEXES: Discussion guides and description of special
techniques used during the discussions with the children
Special techniques were used during the discussions with the children in order to facilitate
the communication with them, especially with the little ones. Drawing technique: the
children were asked to draw a beautiful day in their life, how they would like to spend that
day so as to be happy and fulfilled. The majority of drawings made by the young children (8-
12 and 12-16) represent a united family, children with their parents beside.
Some examples of drawings made by the children:
Pictures collage technique: Children and teenagers were asked to choose some pictures
from a set of photographs and make a collage with the topic: How I would like my future to
look like, how do I see my future. This technique worked better for teenagers (12-16 years).
Just like the young ones in their drawings they long first of all for a united family and a
beautiful house (most of the collages contain houses, the children‟s explanation being that
the „parents left to make money to build a house”)
-DISCUSSION GUIDE- - Children 8-18 years old -
1. Who we are and what we do
2. What the purpose of our meeting is
3. The nature of the discussion: it will be a free discussion, try to be spontaneous and not
to censor our answer in any way because we came here in order to understand the needs
you have
4. The purpose of the audio recording shall be explained and the participants shall be
ensured of the confidentiality of their answers
This discussion will mainly focus on you, your life, your daily activities, what you feel, which is why it is very
important to be spontaneous, say exactly how you feel and what makes you feel comfortable.
5. Let us start with what you do on a usual day of your life, what are all the actions and
activities that you do? How about in weekends?
6. What are the things that you like the most out of what you do on a usual day? What
about the least? Why is that?
I. INTRODUCTION (10 min)
II. OVERVIEW ON THE LIFESTYLE OF THE TARGET GROUP
7. What is your eating schedule, how many meals a day do you have, who prepares your
meals, what kind of food do you usually eat (it shall be explored for cooked meals,
snacks, fruits etc.)
8. What is your school schedule, do you comply with your schedule or not really? Why yes,
why not?
9. Do you go to school every day, or not? What are all the cases when you do not make it
to school? What happens in these cases?
10. (For those who miss school for long periods of time) What makes you rather not go to classes?
Why is that? What do you think that you lack in this case, what are all the things that you
think prevent you from going to school?
11. What do you do when you are not at school? What are all the activities you do? Where
do you go? Whom do you go with?
12. What are the activities that take most of your time in a day? What about the least? Why is
that?
13. What are the things that you would like to change in your life? What makes you say that?
Collage/ or drawing technique – optional depending on the respondents’ age: children will be provided with
coloured crayons and A3 sheets in order to draw how they would like a day in their life to look like or they will
be given to choose several photographs which would help them express best the same thing – an ideal day in their
life.
14. Let us think about how you would like an ordinary day in your life to look like, think
about the activities, persons you would like to be with etc. Let us even draw / or choose
the photographs that get closest to what we feel about such a day.
III. PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES ON THE FUNCTIONAL AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS RELATED TO PARENTS
15. What are the first things that come to your mind when thinking about your parents, your
mother and father? It may be anything: a feeling, emotion, images, words… What are all
the events that come to your mind when thinking about your parents? What makes you
think about that?
16. What are the things that your parents offer you when they are with you, think about
everything that your parents offer you, both material and emotional things (the
moderator shall explore for safety, security, happiness, joy etc).
17. Thinking about all the things that your parents offer you when they are with you, let us
see everything that your life is about with your parents, let us try to remember or even
imagine that your parents are with you:
How does an ordinary day in your life look like, what do you do, what are all
the activities you do on a usual week day, how about in the weekend? What
do all these activities mean for you, what do they bring you?
How many meals do you usually have a day and what exactly are you eating
for each meal, what kind of food, do you also eat cooked food?
How much time do you allocate for school classes, how about for home-
works? Does anybody help you with your home-works?
What do you do when you are not at school, what are all the things you do,
whom do you spend this time with? What does all this time offer you, what
does it mean for you?
18. What do you think that are all the moments when you would need your parents with
you? What do your parents offer you in these moments?
19. If one or both of your parents are left from home for a longer period of time, who is
beside you, who fulfils all these needs you have?
20. Where are your parents gone? How long have they been gone? What did this leave mean
for you?
21. What were you expecting when your parents left, what were you thinking then, and
furthermore, what did you hope to change in your life?
22. Did you agree with your parents leaving? What about with the persons you were left
with?
23. What has changed since your parents left? How is it now? How long has it been? How
do you see this situation now, after so much time?
24. What are the good things that this leave brought, how about the less good things? Give
arguments. Why is that?
25. How do you keep contact with your parents? Do you talk on the phone, how often? Do
you write e-mails?
26. What do you think you miss most at this moment? Why? Why is that? How do you feel
about this situation now? What do you think should change?
IV. PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES ON THE PRESENT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PARENTS
V. PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES ON THE FUTURE (HOW THE CHILDREN SEE THEIR FUTURE)
27. If you were to think about the future, what do you think you would do in the future?
28. What do you think would change in your life? In what way? What makes you think that?
29. Let us play again: let us draw the way the future looks for you. Make a drawing/ picture
collage expressing as best as possible the way you feel about the future and how you see
yourselves in the future (you can use places where you would like to be, people you
would like to be with, things you would like to do etc.).
-DISCUSSION GUIDE- -educators-
30. Who we are and what we do
31. What project we are developing at the moment / groups involved in this project
32. Emphasizing the importance of the educators‟s participation in this research
33. The nature of the discussion: it will be a free discussion, try to be spontaneous and not
to censor our answer in any way because it is important to see exactly what the situation
of these children is and the needs they have
34. The purpose of the audio recording shall be explained and the participants shall be
ensured of the confidentiality of their answers
Let us start by briefly discussing your general opinion on the current educational system.
I. INTRODUCTION (10 min)
II. PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES ON THE CURRENT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
35. What is your opinion on the current educational system? What changes have there been
lately?
36. How did these changes affect you and your activity? What are the strengths and
weaknesses there? Give arguments.
37. Within the current system, what do you think are the difficulties and obstacles you are
facing? Why is that?
38. Do you consider that the current educational system is efficient in what concerns the
children‟s education? Do you believe that the pupils receive a real education?
39. What are the problems that you have with the children at the moment? What is the
nature of these problems? What would be the cause of these problems? It shall be explored
about the authority that the teachers currently have on the pupils.
40. Could we say that the authority the teacher has on the pupil has suffered changes in
recent years? Why do you think that? What would be the causes?
41. How would you describe the present teacher – student relationship? Why is that?
42. What solutions do you see to this problem?
There are many children, pupils, in these areas, in Moldavia, who were left without one or both parents
following their leave abroad to work. Let us see together what the situation of these children is, what their needs
are and what solutions we could propose.
43. Do you have in your classes, or in the classes where you teach, many cases of children
left at home without their parents? What could you say about the situation of these
children?
III. PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES ON THE CHILDREN WITH ONE OR BOTH PARENTS LEFT ABROAD TO WORK
44. What could you say about these children‟s behaviour? Could you say that you noticed
differences in the behaviour of these children since their parents left home?
45. What could we say about the behaviour of this category of children? From your
observations, what are the consequences of the parents‟ leaving? It shall be explored in
details for:
behavioural consequences
absenteeism
school dropout
consequences on the school results
networking
other consequences observed by the teachers
46. Let us see now, from your experience, what cases were you faced with, how was the
respective child affected and what solutions were found at the school level for that child?
47. What do you think that are all the difficulties / obstacles that appear in this target group?
Why is that? What kind of difficulties are these?
48. Could you say that there is cooperation between the adults who take care of these
children and you, as educators? How often do they inquire about the children they take
care of? And what is their attitude?
49. What about the children‟s natural parents, could you say that they are interested in the
results and potential problems that their children may have? In what situations?
50. Who cooperates with you when there is a problem related to a child whose parents are
both left abroad to work? Who interferes when a problem needs to be solved, regardless
of its nature, behavioural, school results, absenteeism, etc.?
51. What could you say about your relationship as educators with these children? Is it closer?
Why yes? Why not?
52. From your viewpoint, what solutions / services do you consider appropriate for this
category of children? Who do you think are all the persons who should get involved in
their problems? Why do you think that? Give arguments.
-DISCUTION GUIDE- -Social assistance-
53. Who we are and what we do
54. What project we are developing at the moment / groups involved in this project
55. Emphasizing the importance of the participation in this research of the social assistance
/ representatives of the social assistance and child protection representatives
56. The nature of the discussion: it will be a free discussion, try to be spontaneous and not
to censor our answer in any way because it is important to see exactly what the situation
of these children is and the needs they have
57. The purpose of the audio recording shall be explained and the participants shall be
ensured of the confidentiality of their answers
IV. PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES ON THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
I. INTRODUCTION (10 min)
We all know that there is a considerable number of children, especially in these areas, who were left at home
without their parents following their leave abroad to work. Let us see how your institution deals with this social
category and what your observations are related to the situation of these children.
58. First of all, from your observations at the county / local level, could we talk about a
social phenomenon when talking about the children whose parents are left abroad to
work? Why yes? Why not?
59. How is this phenomenon approached by your institution?
Who is responsible of monitoring the cases of children whose parents are left
abroad to work?
How exactly is this monitoring made? On what periods?
Who are the persons involved?
What difficulties do you face in approaching these children whose parents are
left abroad to work?
Are there obstacles / difficulties in interfering in certain situations considered
under risk for these cases?
60. What are, in your opinion, the most frequent problems that these children face, from the
observations made by your institution on the field? What difficulties are they faced with?
61. How do you manage to tackle the issues encountered with children whose parents are
left abroad to work?
III. MONITORING THE CASES OF CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE LEFT
ABROAD TO WORK
II. CURRENT SERVICES OFFERED WITHIN THE SOCIAL ASSISTANCE DIRECTORATES (both at the level of the local mayoralties and at the county level)
Let us briefly discuss about the social assistance services that your institution generally offers, we shall mainly
talk about the services that may come in the support of our target group: children whose parents are left abroad
to work.
62. What services do you recommend to children, parents and those who take care of/
temporarily support the children whose parents are left abroad to work.
63. Services currently provided
Types of services
Categories of target group considered
64. Are there special solutions / action plans from your institution aimed for the target
category: children whose parents are left abroad to work? What would they be? What do
they consist of?
65. How do you think your institution may get involved in solving the problems of these
children? In what way? Give arguments.
66. What type of services do you consider this target group would need? Why? Give
arguments.
IV. FUTURE PLANS AND SOLUTIONS FOR THE CHILDREN LEFT WITHOUT PARENTS FOLLOWING THE MIGRATION PHENOMENON