Impact of Parental Migration on Health of Left Behind Children

Abstract

After the adoption of liberal economic policy, Nepal entered into the international work force market. Human resource moves abroad seeking for employment opportunities. The globalization of workforce on one hand benefit to the country with a huge amount of inward remittance and on the other brings different bi-products in the country. The physical and emotional effects on the left-behind children [LBC] have come on the forefront as a burning issue. Absence of parents in the family has resulted in children’s sedentary and complicated life as well. 
 
 However, health-related problems such as cough or respiratory difficulties and diarrhoea have been a major concern among the LBC. The absence of guardians results in nutritional problems such as height / weight for the age. Out of the parents, mother’s migration results in severe consequences. It does not only have an effect on children’s basic immunization and breastfeeding, but also effects on personal hygiene and sanitation. However, affordability of better diet, fancy outfits and health care facilities has been available to LBC with their growing access to remittance.

Effects of parental migration on early childhood development of left-behind children in Bangladesh: Evidence from a nationally representative survey

“…Additionally, it is crucial to prioritize the needs of children from poor households, as they are more likely to have migrating parents and caregivers who may have limited education and knowledge about early childhood care [ 29 ]. This study also revealed a correlation between poor ECDI outcomes and children from disadvantaged households, aligning with existing data from LMICs [ 3 , 4 ]. Furthermore, it is important to focus on children whose parents have disabilities, as this study identified a link between poor ECDI outcomes and such cases, particularly when one parent is disable and the other is migrated [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…Parental involvement, support, and nurturing are vital for creating a nurturing environment that promotes cognitive, social, and emotional growth [ 1 , 4 , 22 ]. When parents are absent for extended periods, children may experience a deficiency in emotional bonding and have limited opportunities for interactive learning experiences, thus hindering their overall development [ 1 , 3 , 4 ].…”

“…Furthermore, the emotional strain and stress associated with parental migration can have profound detrimental effects on children’s overall well-being [ 3 ]. The separation from a parent can trigger feelings of anxiety, sadness, and insecurity, significantly impacting their emotional and cognitive functioning [ 12 , 21 ].…”

“…The Asia-Pacific region, including Bangladesh with an estimated 6 million left-behind children, has the highest number of such children, totalling an estimated 118 million, followed by sub-Saharan Africa (33 million) and Latin America (12 million) [ 2 ]. The primary reason for this migration, which results in children being left behind, is that parents frequently embark on migration journeys in pursuit of enhanced economic prospects [ 3 , 4 ]. Left behind children confront a multitude of challenges stemming from their separation from parents, social isolation, and economic disadvantage [ 1 , 5 ].…”

Descriptive literature review of human resource information systems (HRIS) adoption issues in the health sector, South Africa

“…Acknowledging the necessity for HRIS within the health sector, Anupam and Sharma (2017) highlight that HRIS saves the health sector the pain of manual administration of patients and employee records which can result in the loss of patient and employee data. The lack of a proper information system in the health sector can cause an unnecessary loss of human lives (Sharma, Devkota, & Acharya, 2021). For instance, in South Africa, a more recent example is the Life Esdimeni tragedy where several mentally ill patients were unlawfully relocated to unregistered care centres which resulted in the death of over…”