Suva, Fiji, 11 September 2024 – Labour mobility schemes have attracted many Pacific workers overseas over the last decade. While much is known about the economic benefits of these programmes, until now, less was known about the social and economic costs – including the impact on children.
A study released by UNICEF with government partners and research support from The University of the South Pacific (USP) and Western Sydney University looks at the impact of the Pacific labour mobility scheme on children left behind in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
The study warns that there is an urgent need to mitigate the risks of labour mobility to ensure that children left behind have access to the protection and services they need.
It highlights that despite the financial benefits of remittances from labour mobility schemes, improper management of these funds often leads to insufficient family support and tensions. With children left behind, the study reveals several challenges, particularly concerning the social costs associated with labour mobility, including family breakdowns, exploitation, social isolation, and lack of care for families back home.
According to the study, the Pacific is already witnessing increased rates of family violence, child abuse and neglect in labour migration families with an increased demand for services, including shelters, for women and children who have experienced domestic as well as family violence.
Fiji’s Minister of Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations, Honourable Agni Deo Singh, said, “There is a critical need for a collective response to this issue through engaging in dialogue and sharing of best practices among nations facing similar challenges.”
He stressed, “It is also pivotal to advocate for a balanced assessment of its impacts, the implementation of protective measures, and regional cooperation to address these challenges effectively.”
Social service and child health practitioners interviewed as part of the study commented on malnutrition and sexual violence for children left behind.
As a result of this comprehensive study, it is recommended that governments prioritise compulsory pre-departure training and checks that include communication strategies, caregiving arrangements, and financial management for families left behind, as well as include extended family and caregivers in training.
It adds that while training is prioritised, remittance gaps must be addressed by implementing reliable transfer systems and establishing community-level monitoring to ensure families receive the intended financial support.
In addition, Pacific governments and development partners are encouraged to invest in monitoring and early intervention services for child protection and wellbeing, which includes working with faith-based organisations and providing counselling and psychosocial support for children in migrant worker families.
UNICEF Pacific’s Representative, Jonathan Veitch, said, “Pacific children face increased risks – in this case, due to labour mobility, and we need to urgently act on recommendations developed in partnership with Pacific Governments to ensure children and communities benefit from the positives of labour mobility whilst mitigating risks and responding to harm.”
The study also spotlights the need for a collective effort in developing programmes that empower women and provide skill development for the elderly due to the absence of male family members.
Lastly, social protection initiatives must be made available agilely to respond to family breakdowns and in circumstances where caregivers do not receive adequate remittances.
Solomon Islands Minister of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, Honourable Freda Tuki Soriocomua, while acknowledging that Labour Mobility Schemes – PALM and RSE – are central to the Solomon Islands’ economic strategy, offering youth employment abroad and increasing household incomes, its success depends on integrating robust child protection measures.
“As families face separation and exploitation risks, we must ensure children left behind are safeguarded and supported,” Soriocomua added.
Similar sentiments were shared by Vanuatu’s Ministry of Justice and Community Services’ National Human Rights Coordinator, Albert Nalpini, who stressed that while “Labour mobility is having a profound impact at a societal and community level, we need to pay more attention and this UNICEF-supported study on the ‘impacts on children left behind’ conducted by Pacific academics is well overdue.”
The findings from the study provide UNICEF, together with governments and partners, an evidence base for social protection action plans and policies supporting children left behind in the Pacific through labour mobility schemes.
There is an urgent need to adjust policy and programme settings to reflect the risks for children left behind through labour mobility. Development actors must invest in programmes that protect women and children at the community level across the Pacific.
