In the context of globalization and of wide reaching phenomena, and also of its E.U. membership, Romania has experienced a number of changes both at economic and social levels. One of the phenomena with a strong impact on the country’s society and economy is that of migration for work abroad. Concretely, in recent years, more and more people, especially from modest_ but also from poor strata of the population, choose to emigrate due to a lack of employment opportunities.
In many of these situations children are affected too. Romanian authorities responded by some legislative provisions directly addressing this issue but which were not able to cover the inherent complexity of such a phenomenon. It has soon become known as the ‘home alone children’ phenomenon, even if its true sense does not apply but to a small percentage of children with migrant parents. However, the complexity of the phenomenon, its causes and consequences, its dynamics and the way legislative provisions are actually implemented in the field, as well as the professionals’ practices have constituted as many challenges not only for the authorities but for civil society too.
The Study provides data and information on the scale of the phenomenon (highlighting the most affected regions), the ‘profile’ of the family/community where children are more exposed to vulnerability, marginalization, and/or exclusion due to their parents migration, and the implemented practices to identify, monitor and evaluate children in this situation, in view of making recommendations for their development and improvement, all combined with a review of the legislative provisions on the issue, of the mass media opinions and coverage, and of the general public opinion in Romania. This research was conducted in view of gathering data to contribute to the development of social policies targeting this segment of the population, to help improve the legislation and develop practices for the professionals in the field, all these constituting the domain of the technical assistance provided by UNICEF to the National Authority for Children’s Rights.
The following objectives have guided the intervention within the research:
- To understand the complexity of the phenomenon and its dimensions through measurements and estimations of its scale at national and regional levels which identify the most affected areas and provide a ‘map of the phenomenon’ from the standpoint of its prevalence at the time of the research.
- To identify the causes and the consequences of the phenomenon, by an in-depth analysis of the immediate and underlying causes, as well as the consequences on the children of their parents migration abroad for work, from the standpoint of the rights of the child and of the impact on these rights.
- To identify the major gaps in the legislation through a comprehensive analysis of the legal framework, of legal provisions and of actual practices in the territory, combined with a series of case studies in several communities in different regions of the country.
- To understand the broader context of migration and its effects by measuring the impact on the public and authorities, the mass media interpretations and the messages spread. The broader context refers to the values and principles of contemporary Romanian society, to the ‘collective mind’, and to the grounds that determine certain behaviors.
- To build UNICEF’s capacity to provide information and relevant recommendations for future strategies and policies in the area as well as for the lines to be followed.