The role of public authorities of the Republic of Moldova in supporting transnational families and children left behind by labor migration

Abstract

Labour migration from the Republic of Moldova, which registers a new intensification after the COVID-19 pandemic, increased the number of transnational families and children left behind. During the last 20 years, international labour migration from the Republic of Moldova has reached an impressive level. Thus, in 2017, according to the Labor Force Survey, the number of persons who went abroad searching for a job was about 319 thousand or about 18% of the inactive population aged 15 and over. Men constituted 66,4%, while women – 33,6% of the total number of migrants. The share of people who left rural areas was 70,5%. Unofficial sources estimate the extent of labour migration from the Republic of Moldova at 1 million people. The problems of transnational families and children left behind due to labour migration have already been studied in the Republic of Moldova. Several field studies have been dedicated to this issue, and public authorities have developed policies and intervention tools to manage this problem as efficiently as possible. Current research on the left behind children’s conditions becomes increasingly important in the situation where transnational families and children left behind to take on new forms of manifestation and generate new social risks. This research aims to study the needs of transnational families and children left behind after migration and to improve the legislative and institutional framework in correlation with similar legal practices and norms of the European Union. The research aims to reveal the potential positive or negative impact of policies on the protection of children in the Republic of Moldova and inform transnational families and representatives of public authorities about the realities and practical aspects of labour migration. This article reflects the opinions of representatives of public, central, and local authorities participating in the CASTLE research project (mayors, social workers, specialists of government institutions, etc.) on the situation in the Republic of Moldova regarding transnational families and children left behind. The article comes with a series of conclusions and recommendations regarding minimising the negative effects of labour migration, such as the development of social services necessary to prevent these effects.