Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-03-10-Speech-2-525"
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"en.20090310.37.2-525"2
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".
I would first of all like to thank my colleagues in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the PES Secretariat from the Commission for promoting this topic on the children of migrants, which we are debating today in this plenary session because, when we talk about children, we are talking about our future, about the future of the European Union.
The migration of labour is continuing to grow, not only at global level, but within the EU as well. Migration offers great potential for development, but it also poses serious challenges in both the developed and the least developed Member States of the European Union. We can talk about the positive impact of migration at the level of the economy in the migrant workers’ countries of origin because this can reduce poverty and boost investment in human resources. On the other hand, the situation of migrants’ children who are left behind on their own in the country of origin when parents emigrate in search of a job in another country is an issue which has caused concern in some Member States during the last two years.
Although there are comprehensive policies for improving the living conditions and education of migrants’ children who have moved abroad with their parents, less attention has been focused on the children who have been left behind at home. The migration of parents abroad for work is a social phenomenon with a complex impact on the dynamics and functionality of the family, as well as on the whole of society. Children whose parents have gone abroad for work belong to a vulnerable group which is at risk.
The complexity of this issue, of its causes and consequences, of its dynamics and the way in which legal provisions are implemented effectively in the field, as well as the complexity of the professionals’ practices, have provided challenges, not only to the authorities but to civil society as well. On this point, civil society and the mass media in Romania have presented studies which state that in Romania, there are more than 350 000 children whose parents are working abroad, including 126 000 where both parents have emigrated.
The adverse consequences of the parents’ departure are primarily felt by children at a psychological level. The feeling of depression and a lack of interest in school and out-of-school activities may be direct consequences of their parents’ absence. One direct consequence of the parents’ migration is the fact that the child is deprived of parental affection and the necessary supervision of his or her normal development.
In cases where parents have emigrated and the children have stayed behind in the care of people who cannot provide them with emotional and educational support, both these consequences may have, in turn, an adverse impact on the children’s health and psychological development, as well as push them into behaviour that is uncharacteristic or inappropriate for the children’s age and expose them to other kinds of exploitation and abuse.
As a mother and a European social democrat, I urge respect for the rights of every child, for their entitlement to equal opportunities and for the role of the state, as well as the investment required to mould future generations. Identifying the most vulnerable, excluded or marginalised children must be the key focus of any research effort, thereby ensuring there is sufficient leverage generated to support the authorities’ efforts to safeguard the rights of every child.
Commissioner Špidla, I would like to thank you sincerely for the contribution you have made in broadcasting the video message as part of the European conference which I organised in Bucharest last November on this issue of children left alone at home.
Taking into account the complexity of this issue, especially during the current economic and social crisis that is primarily affecting vulnerable groups, which children also belong to, on behalf of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, I would like to ask you whether the Commission is in favour of carrying out a study to assess the extent of the situation and whether the Commission considers that the topic of migrant workers’ children is only a problem for the government in the country of origin or for the governments of the host countries which benefit from the presence of migrants on the labour market."@en1
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