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The Impact of Parents Migration on Children Left Behind ( Unicef Sofia, 2014)

This study from UNICEF Sofia examines the impact of parents migrating abroad on children left behind in Bulgaria. It explores specific problems these children face and proposes solutions to address their needs. The study analyzes data from surveys, interviews, and case studies to understand the risks faced by these children, including educational, health, and social issues. The study also identifies weaknesses in the child welfare system and suggests improvements.

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The Impact of Parents Migration on Children Left Behind ( Unicef Sofia, 2014)

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  1. Children left behind:polices in Bulgaria The Impact of Parents Migration on Children Left Behind (Unicef Sofia, 2014) Ina Radkova, National Network for Children

  2. Research Questions • How many children are left behind in Bulgaria because their parents live and work abroad? • Are there any specific problems that these children experience? • If there are specific problems, how can we solve them?

  3. Hypotheses • Children left behind by migrant parents are at risk and the lack of care could lead to either • developing personality traits that enable them to deal with a variety of problems or • deviant behaviour and/or other problems such as • educational problems • communication problems • lower educational degree • health issues • higher risk of alcohol addiction, substance abuse, criminal offences etc. • higher risk of infringement upon their rights • Only a part of the group of children left behind is at risk

  4. Methods and Data Analysis • Secondary analysis of existing databases (school dropout rates, financial incomes from migrants) • Analysing data from different surveys (1 200 adults; students aged between 11 and 18 years; school principals) • Conducting interviews with representatives of different stateinstitutions and NGOs • Analysing case studies in two municipalities (51 interviews and 5 discussions) • Analysing 46 children’s drawings

  5. Results How many children are left behind? • Analyses of surveys • 1200 subjects  Every forth or fifth child has at least one parent who works and lives abroad • 992 students (age 11-18)  25,9 % of the children are left behind by at least one parent or one of the parents is a foreigner and lives abroad

  6. Results Are children left behind different? • Ethnic background is a risk factor – Turkish and Roma descent  more than 50% of the parents live abroad • Highest risk – both parents abroad, mother abroad, one parent is foreigner • About 50% of the students aged between 11 and 18 work illegally

  7. Results Are children left behind different? • Health issues • More often sick • Less likely to visit the doctor • More likely to smoke cigarettes, use drugs and alcohol • Educational problems • Low performance • More likely to repeat a class • Lack of awareness and resources in schools

  8. Results Are children left behind different? • Family dynamics • Switched roles in the family structure • Parents as victims  children take on more responsibilities • “Everything is fine” attitude

  9. Results Are children left behind different? • Psychological issues • Emotionally unstable, depression, anxiety • Tendency to take on more responsibilities • Different values  difficulties in decision making  higher risk of taking part in criminal activities • Anti-social behaviour • Less empathic, worse social skills • Extreme views about education – excellent performance vs. not recognizing the value of education at all

  10. Results Are children left behind different? • Infringement upon their rights • Lack of information about these children • Institutions are not aware of their problems and therefore cannot support them properly • The rights of their guardians are often unclear or do not consider the child’s needs (lack of support and control) • Current legislation is very old • Risk of stigmatizing

  11. Results Main weaknesses of the structures responsible for child welfare • No prevention  action usually when the problem is undeniably real (crisis situation)  the “spirit” of Child Welfare Law is broken • Reasons: • Poor definition of the term “risk” • Not enough social workers (up to 100 cases per specialist) • Unqualified social workers • Lack of awareness in the society – no action

  12. Results Main weaknesses of the structures responsible for child welfare • Treating the consequences of risk factors instead of the risk itself • Social services – not effective • Consultative work with the families on all levels – not effective • Poor coordination between institutions • Complicated and chaotic structure of the child welfare agencies and other social services  problem should be solved on municipal level • Financial problems

  13. Thank you for your attention!

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