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 Addressing the Negative Effects of  Migration on Minors 

and Families Left  Behind (Co-financed by the European Commission with the Thematic programme of cooperation with third

countries in the areas of migration and asylum)

Location of the action: Moldova and Italy 

Duration of the action: 24 months 

CONTEXT

The Republic of Moldova is one of the countries mostly affected by the phenomenon of labour

emigration, on a short or long term basis.

As a consequence, in many families, one or both parents have to leave their children to work abroad

 because they cannot find jobs in their country and thousands of Moldovan children are growing up

without parental care.

Being deprived of family care, these children are often at risk of social exclusion : despite the fact

that the remittances they receive from they parents alleviate their economic situation and facilitate

their access to social services, parents’ absence strongly affects their psychological well-being, as

well as their schooling and health.

Children’s feelings after their parents’ departure include guilt, sadness, isolation, fear of

abandonment, and some even develop aggressive behaviour. Very often, care-givers notice that

 parents’ absence also hampers children’s school performance, mainly because they cannot count on

 parental guidance or support.

The heightened attention of the EU for the social implications of migration has been demonstratedwith the recent European Parliament resolution on Migrant children left behind in the country of

origin, approved on 9 March 2009, which calls on Member States and the European Commission to:

i) take steps to improve the situation of the children left by their parents in the country of origin and

ensure their normal development in terms of education and social life, ii) to set up cooperation

mechanisms to prevent the detrimental effects on families, especially children, of living apart and of

the distances they have to bridge and to further the application of means iii) to help migrants as well

as their children who have not left the country of origin.

With the project “Addressing the Negative Effects of Migration on Minors and Families Left Behind”,

this Ministry aims at reducing problems related to the social impact of migration flows in Moldova,

through the collaborative support of local institutions. The emphasis will be to design andimplement actions and support tools for minors and youth whose parents migrated to Italy and are

currently under their relatives’ or guardians’ care as well as in institutions.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

1. Creation of an Inter-Institutional Technical Committee (IITC) and upgrade of the

Moldovan Government’s information system on child protection.

The creation of the IITC will serve as a support mechanism for the implementation of the project

activities. Besides steering the project strategically and operationally, the body will be responsible

for assuring the flow of information between partners, for harmonising views, for ensuring the programme approach, and for facilitating continued ownership by all actors involved. In addition,

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this joint platform will ensure that all the activities are implemented following the national priorities

on child rights.

The activities of the IITC will be based on the principle of participation.

2. To support socio-educational centres and their operators through:

a) 

online counselling activities for the entire duration of the project; b)  2 study visits for 10 social operators of Moldovan Social Centres working with vulnerable

children, including left without parental care. The study visit will focus on the exchange of

 best practices and the strengthening of competences;

c)  direct support to 5 socio-educational Moldovan centres for the improvement of child

 protection services, through provision of direct support according to specific needs of target

group.

3. To improve guidance and training services, as well as the mechanisms for the inclusion of

youth in the local labour market.

Implementation of training courses for 50 children to be included in specific productive sector

identified by the IITC.The project will also support at least 40 youth in the start-up of new businesses. The 40

 beneficiaries will receive support grants in the following format:

•  20 non-cash grants will be provided by the project in the form of necessary equipment, raw

materials, or other in kind contribution.

•  20 non cash grants will be used to support the Moldovan Government Programme PARE

1+1, innovative initiative that has the primary scope of mobilizing human and financial

resources of Moldovan labour migrants/migrant parents and their family members in

Moldova for sustainable development of the homeland investing remittances.

4. To carry out an awareness raising campaign on the negative social effects of migration on

family ties.

The campaign is addressed to Moldovan citizens from 4 selected Italian target regions with high

concentration of Moldovan migrants. The theatre play “Abandoned People” will be broadcast with

the help of 20 representatives of Moldovan Diaspora Associations trained as facilitators for play

 broadcasting and discussions;

The Campaign includes the broadcasting of the play in 10 cinemas/theatres/other facilities in the 4

target regions of Italy and the elaboration of information materials on impact of migration on

families (DVDs, guides for children left behind and migrant parents, etc) and innovative

remittances-based business start-ups Programme (Leaflets on PARE 1+1 Programme) which will be

disseminated through the engagement of the Moldovan Diaspora in Italy, Moldovan Embassy andConsulates, etc

In addition to the information campaign in Italy, IOM will provide parents with information on

existing solutions and options to minimize or to counteract the negative effects of migration on

families. Migrants will be informed on the available schemes for the efficient use of remittances and

will receive free-of-charge psychological counselling on ways to address their potential sense of

guilt, as well as legal advise on legal issues related to long-term family separation, such as legal

guardianship, including necessary documentation, for the child, parental issues, etc.

5. To provide individually-tailored assistance and protection measures to children and

families left behind by migrants. 

This activity will target direct needs of at least 100 children, left behind by migrants, and willsupport the national and local authorities to cope with this relatively new phenomenon. IOM will

therefore, with the assistance of the CAPC centre, provide psycho-social, legal and medical crises

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intervention support at national level. Under this activities IOM will also provide, medium and long

term re/integration assistance through the NRS network partners, throughout the Republic.