Scalabrini International Migration Network

Researchers have raised concerns about parental migration's effects on various aspects of the left-behind children's development. However, there is limited understanding of how parental migration influences children over the life course. This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating how exposure to parental migration during childhood shapes later development in Indonesia and the Philippines, two major labor-sending countries in Southeast Asia. Adopting a life course perspective, we examine how the timing, sequence, and cumulative extent of parental migration affect children's outcomes. We used longitudinal data from 1,023 households in 2008 (with children aged 4.56 on average) and 849 households in 2016/17 (with children aged 12.78 on average). Retrospective information on children's exposure to parental migration during early childhood (under 3), middle childhood (4-5), and late childhood (6-10) was constructed for its impact on individuals' school performance and psychological well-being during early adolescence (11-14). The findings indicate that the timing of children's initial exposure to parental migration impacts certain aspects of their development. In Indonesia, paternal migration during middle or late childhood is associated with a trade-off between improved school performance and reduced prosocial behavior. For Filipino children, maternal migration during the first 3 years is linked to higher levels of internalizing problems, while migration during middle and late childhood reduces the risk of such problems. These findings underscore the importance of tailored policies and support programs that acknowledge the diverse impacts of parental migration across different developmental stages, considering distinct cultural contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

This article examines the link between parental migration and young children's education using data from the Philippine country study of the Child Health and Migrant Parents in South-East Asia (CHAMPSEA) Project. The key research question probed here is: what difference does parental migration make to the school outcomes of young children? Specifically, it looks at factors that explain children's school progression (school pacing) and academic performance (school achievement) using multiple regression analysis. These questions are explored using CHAMPSEA data gathered from a survey of children under 12 years of age and their households in Laguna and Batangas (n=487). The concern that parental absence due to migration can negatively affect the school performance of children is not supported by the study. If parental migration affects school outcomes, it is associated with positive outcomes, or with outcomes which show that children in transnational households are not doing worse than children living with both parents. Positive school outcomes are best associated with a migrant-carer arrangement where fathers work abroad and mothers stay home as carers -children in these households fare very well when it comes to school pacing and school achievement. The study concludes that families and households need to provide both economic and psychological support to enhance the chances that children are at pace with their schooling and are doing well at school.

Abstract Article 16.3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “[t]he family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” This task has become a lot more challenging in the age of migration, particularly under a migration regime wherein only workers are allowed admission to another country under specific terms while their family members are left in the countries of origin. To date, the protection and promotion of the welfare of left-behind families is assumed to be the sole responsibility of countries of origin. Based on the experience of the Philippines as an origin country, this paper outlines the impact of international migration on the families of migrants; describes institutions, programs and services developed by the government and other stakeholders to promote their protection and welfare; and concludes with recommendations for transnational cooperation to ensure that the families of migrant workers are not left behind as participants in policy, research and advocacy.

This study explores the social identities of Filipino seafarers, an important component of temporary labor migration from the Philippines. Three major questions were examined, namely, their social memberships, the place of national identity vis-à-vis other social identities, and seafarers' perceptions of their Filipino identity. Overall, religion, friends and family were the top three social identities mentioned by all seafarers. Length of work experience abroad was found to be associated with the importance seafarers attached to their group affiliations. The study offers some explanations on why national identity was less salient compared with other social identities.

This paper attempts to outline observed changes in Asian families (particularly in East and Southeast Asia) in the past thirty years, reviews research-based findings on the links between international migration and the family, and identifies emerging family-related issues vis-à-vis emerging trends in international migration. Among the notable changes in Asian families during this period are the shift towards smaller families, the shift to longer family life course, and the emerging transnational configuration of families. The last one has been brought about by increasing population mobility. Despite the policy to keep migration temporary, some limited form of settlement is taking place in the region. Among others, this raises questions and policy dilemmas concerning the nature of migration in the future, the treatment of foreigners in receiving societies, and human rights issues affecting women and children.

The International Conference on the Human Rights of Migrant Workers: Agenda for NGOs, organized by the Scalabrini Migration Center in cooperation with the International Labour Organisation, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Missio, took place in Manila on 19–20 November 1992.More than 30 speakers from Asian countries, the U.S. and Europe contributed to the program attended by approximately 100 representatives of nongovernmental organizations involved with the assistance and protection of overseas contract workers.