Impact of Economic Labour Migration: A Qualitative Exploration of Left-Behind Family Member Perspectives in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lanka is a major labour sending country in Asia, with a high proportion of female labour migrants employed as domestic housemaids in the Middle East with increasing remittances. Despite such financial gains for families and national economy, health and social effects on the left-behind families have had limited exploration. This qualitative study was carried out across five districts with high labour migration rates in Sri Lanka. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with participants recruited through purposive sampling. Data was analysed using content and thematic analysis and emerging themes were mapped. Pre-migration socio-economic situation, economic difficulties and higher earning possibilities abroad were considered to be the major push and pull factors for labour migration. Post-migration periods were shown to be of mixed benefit to left-behind families and children suffer the negative effects of parental absence. The absence of support mechanisms for dealing with adverse events such as serious injury, death, abuse or imprisonment were cited as major concerns. Post-migration periods affect the health, well-being and family structures of left-behind families. Promoting economic prosperity while ensuring health and social protection is a formidable policy challenge for 'labour sending' countries such as Sri Lanka.

International Migration and Health in the Countries of Origin. The Effect on Households with Migrants and/or Recipients of Remittances, and on Returned Migrants. A Systematic Review

“…In general terms, the target populations of the reviewed articles were: 1) children, 2) adolescents, 3) women, 4) older adults and 5) households. Seventy-eight quantitative articles, 4 qualitative articles (21,22,23,24) and three mixed were found (4,25,26). Seventy three percent of the works reviewed corresponded to cross-sectional studies (sixty-two articles).…”

“…Negative effects were found in different indicators of mental health in children (5,53,54), adolescents (4,6,55), caregivers (26,23), older adults (45,56), wives of the migrants (15,16,25,57), spouses (23) and members of the household in general (58).…”

“…Migration also has positive effects on the access to private health services (59), healing (60), and of antenatal control (61), as well on the use of contraceptive methods (41). In contrast, the migration of a family member family can negatively affect vaccinations of children (3,13) and the search of medical care of grandparents (23).…”

Protecting the Welfare of Children and its Causal Effect on Limiting Mother's Labour Migration

“…(), in their qualitative approach Siriwardhana et al. () also find that parental absence lead to negative impact on children left behind, while Siriwardhana et al. () show that adult caregivers in migrant families – both spouse and a non‐spouse caregivers – have a high incidence of common mental disorder.…”

The comparison of causal relationships of job stress between Thai immigrant employees with and without rearing their aging parents

“…For example, male migrants who were separated from family always suffered from mental health, fear, anxiety, and depression [23]. These are also found among females who were working as maids [24]. That is to say, job conditions were important factor that contributed to mental health [17].…”