The impact of Pacific labour mobility programmes on left-behind children in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu – A first study – Fiji

Labor mobility: Financial benefits raise questions about children’s rights

Suva, Fiji, 11 September 2024 – Labour mobility schemes have attracted large numbers of Pacific workers abroad over the past decade. While much is known about the economic benefits of these programmes, less has been known about their social and economic costs, including the impact on children.

A study published today by UNICEF looks at the impact of the Pacific Labour Mobility Scheme on children left behind in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The study warns that there is an urgent need to mitigate the risks of labour mobility to ensure children left behind have access to the protection and services they need.

The study highlights that despite the financial benefits of remittances from labour mobility schemes, mismanagement of these funds often leads to insufficient family support and tensions. With children left behind, the study reveals several challenges, particularly in terms of the social costs associated with labour mobility, including family breakdown, exploitation, social isolation and lack of care for families at home.

According to the study, the Pacific has already seen an increase in domestic violence, child abuse and neglect in migrant worker families. There has been an increased demand for services, including shelters, for women and children who have experienced domestic and family violence. Social service and child health practitioners interviewed as part of the study commented on malnutrition and sexual violence among children left behind.

What now?

The study strongly recommends that governments prioritise mandatory pre-departure training and checks that cover communication strategies, care arrangements and financial management for families left behind, as well as involving extended family and caregivers in the training. There are already positive signs that such steps are underway in some countries, and they should be supported and expanded in the Pacific.

While training should be prioritized, cash transfer gaps must also be addressed by implementing more reliable transfer systems and community-level monitoring to ensure that families receive the intended financial support.

In addition, Pacific governments and development partners should invest in monitoring and early intervention services for child protection and well-being. This includes working with faith-based organisations and providing counselling and psychosocial support for children in migrant worker families.

There is a need for a concerted effort to develop programs that focus on women empowerment and skill development for the elderly, as there are no male family members.

Finally, social protection initiatives should be made available in a flexible way to respond to family breakdown and in circumstances where caregivers do not receive sufficient funds. Parenting and financial literacy training should be made available to caregivers.

The study’s findings provide UNICEF, together with governments and partners, with an evidence base for action plans and social protection policies to support children left behind in the Pacific through labour mobility programmes.

There is an urgent need to adapt policy and programme settings to reflect the risks to children left behind by labour mobility. Development actors must invest in programmes that protect women and children at the community level in the Pacific.

Note to editors

Quotes:

“Children in the Pacific region are at greater risk, in this case because of labor market mobility,” said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF Pacific representative. We must urgently act on recommendations developed in partnership with Pacific governments to ensure children and communities reap the benefits of labour mobility, while reducing risks and responding to harm.”

“We are alarmed by the findings of the UNICEF-supported study on children left behind due to labour mobility. There is an urgent need for a collective response to this problem through dialogue and sharing of best practices among countries facing similar challenges,” said Fiji’s Minister of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Mr Agni Deo Singh. “It is also crucial to advocate for a balanced assessment of their impacts, the implementation of protective measures and regional cooperation to effectively address these challenges.”

“The labour mobility programmes – PALM and RSE – are critical to Solomon Islands’ economic strategy, providing youth with overseas employment and increasing household incomes,” said the Solomon Islands Minister of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, Mr. Freda Tuki Soriocomua. “While these programs alleviate poverty and boost local economies, their success depends on the integration of robust child protection measures. As families face the risks of separation and exploitation, we must ensure that children left behind are protected and supported.”

“Labour mobility has profound societal and community impacts that need to be addressed. The UNICEF-supported study on the ‘Impact on Left Behind Children’, conducted by Pacific academics, is long overdue,” said Albert Nalpini, the National Human Rights Coordinator for the Vanuatu Ministry of Justice and Social Services. “We are working to implement a range of recommendations, including those contained in the results document produced by Pacific Governments in July this year, based on the initial findings of the report.”

A first study: the impact of Pacific labour mobility programmes on left-behind children in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

Led by UNICEF, with government partners and research support from the University of the South Pacific and Western Sydney University, the study provides an in-depth contextual understanding of children and caregivers’ experiences of labour mobility programs and their impact. The study aimed to:

• Identify the prevalence of children left behind in labour mobility programmes.
• Discover the experiences of children who are left behind.
• Investigate care arrangements for children left behind.
• Discover the experiences of caregivers who care for abandoned children.
• Identify the protection, services and support that children left behind can access.
• Define the factors that contribute to participation in the labor mobility program.
• Discover policies, regulations and services related to labour mobility for workers with families, in both sending and receiving countries.

Key findings from the research

The study highlights that despite the financial benefits of remittances from labour mobility schemes, including boosting local economies and allowing families to focus on investments, mismanagement of these funds often leads to inadequate family support and tensions, sometimes resulting in marriage breakdowns and neglect of children’s needs.

Remittance gaps that exist due to unreliable transfer methods and non-compliance with parental maintenance orders, in the event of divorce, remain critical issues. This leads to significant losses in the intended financial support for families, further exacerbating the financial pressure on the families left behind.

Pre-departure training for migrant workers needs to be improved as there is often a lack of focus on the family, leaving caregivers ill-prepared for the challenges of long-term separation and financial responsibilities.

In addition, children in families where one or both parents migrate for work often experience emotional and behavioral problems, such as grief, academic failure, and strained relationships with absent parents.

While the absence of male family members due to migration leads to shifts in gender roles within communities, this can place additional burdens on women and older people, further increasing their vulnerability. Male adolescents may be left without role models or guidance, in the context of growing concerns about online exposure and increased access to drugs.

Finally, there is a significant lack of communication between migrant workers and their families, contributing to tensions within families and inadequate support for children left behind.

Click here to download photos from the recent seminar in Vanuatu highlighting the findings of the research.

For further information please contact:

Zubnah Khan, UNICEF Pacific, tel.: +679 9988137, [email protected]

About UNICEF: UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. In 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.

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