Greater Efforts Needed To Ensure Well Being Of Families Left Behind In Migration Process

Published on Mar 8, 2008 - 7:44:41 AM


By: International Organization for Migration

GENEVA March 8, 2008 - Increasing attention on the safe migration of people in the globalized world and greater efforts to promote the rights of migrant workers are not being systematically matched by interventions to ensure the safety and well being of families left behind, the International Organization for Migration says today as it marks International Women's Day.

"Countries of origin are increasingly dependent on the significant remittances being provided by migrants and see their overseas workers as of major value to their economic development. However, for spouses and children left behind, the absence of a parent from the day-to-day running of the family brings social and economic problems of its own. These have all too often been overlooked in migration and development policies," says Ndioro Ndiaye, IOM Deputy Director General.

International remittances to developing countries, amounting to an estimated US$240 billion in 2007, are often the main income of a receiving family and are usually used for day-to-day expenses including school fees and materials. However, the long-term absence of a parent can undermine the very objective that led to the migration in the first place - bettering a family's prospects.
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