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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Without your mum, something is missing': The children left behind by migrant parents
In the village of Salchia, in southern Moldova, 14-year-old Mihail misses his mother. At lunchtime and in the evenings, he calls her on Viber or WhatsApp. But it's not the same as having her at home. 'Without your mum, something is missing, right?' he says. When Mihail was just a baby, both of his parents left the country to find work – a necessity in a poor rural region where opportunities are scarce. He was raised by his grandparents and aunts. Now that he's older, his parents take turns staying with him while the other works abroad. At present, his mother is employed on a farm in Italy. 'He's at a sensitive age now, so one of us is always at home with him. But if neither of us went abroad, it would be hard for us to make ends meet,' says Mihail's father, Leonid. There are millions of children like Mihail around the world, kids whose parents leave their impoverished home regions in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, China or South America in search of work, higher wages and better prospects. Academics refer to them as 'children left behind'. In Moldova, more than 20 per cent of all children are estimated to have at least one parent working abroad. In China, tens of millions of children are believed to have been left in the care of relatives in rural areas while their parents migrate to cities in search of jobs. In the Philippines, one of the world's leading labour-exporting countries, nearly a quarter of children are growing up without one or both parents at home. In Indonesia, over 11 million of the country's 84 million children are thought to live in similar circumstances, while in Venezuela the figure stands at 800,000 out of a total child population of nine million. It's a situation that was once common in Western Europe, particularly during the industrial revolution, when the migration of adults from rural areas to towns and cities – a pattern of development – took off. Weighing up the pros and cons of parental labour migration for the children left behind is no simple task. In many cases, children in these families enjoy better material conditions than their peers. But a large body of research – much of it conducted in China – shows that they also seem to face significantly higher risks of anxiety, depression, and antisocial behaviour. When 29-year-old Moldovan Ecaterina Grati was a child, her father left their home country to work abroad. By the time she was eight and her brother three, their mother had also gone, to Russia. The two siblings were left in the care of their grandmother. 'It was scary, being without both mum and dad,' she recalls. 'I felt very sorry for my little brother. He cried a lot when mum left. We tried to distract him, saying she'd be back soon, and so on. But overall, we both probably felt fear.' Her childhood was tough. At the time, she couldn't understand why her parents had gone, but she now recognises they had no real choice. There were simply no other means of making a living and giving their children a decent life. 'For my parents, it's still a painful subject,' she says. 'Mum always cries when we talk about that time.' Growing up, she more or less raised herself and took on a big share of responsibility for her little brother. But the hardship also brought strength. She developed a strong sense of initiative and independence, traits that have served her well in adult life. Today, at 29, she runs her own cleaning business. 'My childhood taught me that you have to rely on yourself,' she says. The ability to take responsibility and act independently is a trait that sociologist Viorela Ducu Telegdi-Csetri and her husband and colleague, social scientist Áron Telegdi-Csetri, have also observed in children left behind by migrating parents. The couple, based at the CASTLE Centre for the Study of Transnational Families at Romania's Babeș-Bolyai University, have studied children in Romania, Ukraine and Moldova. 'Many of them even tend to view children whose parents stay with them as spoiled,' says Viorela Ducu Telegdi-Csetri. The children were often also understanding of why their parents had left. Áron Telegdi-Csetri recalls interviewing a Ukrainian teenager who was asked whether his parents had involved him in the decision to work abroad. 'There was nothing to discuss, not even for our parents. They had no choice,' he replied. Because the phenomenon still carries a degree of structural stigma in parts of Eastern Europe, the researchers sometimes encountered what Áron describes as 'a peculiar reflex' among the children. 'I've noticed that they'll say other parents might have abandoned their children – but 'my parents didn't abandon me.' There's a strong impulse to defend them,' he says. In the early years after her parents left, Ecaterina Grati could barely speak to them at all, a silence that only deepened her sense of abandonment. 'Phone calls to Russia were expensive, and this was before video calls became common,' she says. Later, as communication technology improved, keeping in touch became easier. But even today, many parents can't afford mobile data for video calls in the first months after migrating, says Viorela Ducu Telegdi-Csetri. Until they've earned their first pay cheques, contact with children back home can be sporadic at best. That's why the CASTLE project has proposed that local authorities provide emergency communication kits to transnational families. 'Because the first months of migration are the hardest,' says Viorela Ducu Telegdi-Csetri. China is believed to have the world's largest population of left-behind children – a result, in large part, of the hukou system, a household registration policy that restricts access to public services for rural migrants working in cities. As a consequence, many parents are forced to leave their children behind in home villages while they seek employment in urban areas. Xiaojin Chen, a sociologist at Tulane University in the United States, has spent several years studying China's left-behind children. Unlike the Romanian researchers, he hasn't observed a trend toward greater independence and sense of responsibility among these children. Rather the opposite. 'A lot of times, the grandparents become very protective. They know that they have the responsibility to make sure the children are safe,' he says. Many studies have highlighted negative psychological effects experienced by China's left-behind children, such as depression. But results vary and Xiaojin Chen argues that psychological well-being is difficult to measure. 'On average, compared with children who live with both parents, these children may be a little more isolated, and they're probably not as active as other kids,' he says. Yet, he often observes that the social bonds with grandparents can, in many cases, almost entirely replace those with the parents, who may only see their children once or twice a year. 'In Western culture, we tend to assume that the emotional bond must come from the nuclear family. But in more traditional rural China, a strong emotional connection with grandparents can be enough. If that bond exists, the child should be fine,' says Xiaojin Chen. From time to time, moral debates flare up in China, where migrant families are stereotyped as dysfunctional. Parents are cast as neglectful, their left-behind children traumatised and with grandparents ill-equipped to care for them. It became especially clear last spring, after three 13-year-olds in the Hebei Province murdered another 13-year-old whom they had bullied for a long time. Both the victim and the perpetrators were children of migrant workers and had been left in the care of relatives. Xiaojin Chen has not found any strong evidence that left-behind children are significantly more prone to criminal behaviour, although some studies suggest otherwise. What he has observed, however, is an increased risk for some of these children to become victims of bullying or sexual abuse, particularly when no strong guardian is present. Overall, it is children who grow up with both parents absent and only a single grandparent – often elderly and frail – who are most at risk, Chen argues. 'That is a huge risk factor,' he says. When Xiaojin Chen reflects on the long-term social consequences of millions of Chinese children growing up without their parents, he sees one threat in particular. What will happen to the intergenerational informal contract – the long-standing expectation in rural China that children will care for their parents in old age? 'The emotional connection between parents and the children left behind is very weak. Will they really take care of their migrant parents when they become older? We don't know that yet.' In Moldova, Ecaterina Grati sees how children who, like her, grew up without their parents often end up following the same path. 'Most children in such families grow up believing that the only way to earn a decent living is by going abroad. They have no role models who've succeeded at home,' she says. Even though she now understands why her parents made that choice, she could never bring herself to leave her six-year-old daughter behind to work in another country. 'I don't want my child to go through the same thing.' But 14-year-old Mihail has already made up his mind. He plans to do exactly what his parents did when he's older. 'I will leave,' he says. 'There's nothing here. No jobs, no people. Everybody already left.' Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Bodies of husband and wife taken into Gaza by Hamas recovered after special operation by Israeli forces
The bodies of a couple taken into Gaza by Hamas during the 7 October attacks have been recovered by Israeli forces, the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced. He said the bodies of husband and wife Judi Weinstein Haggai, 70, and Gad Haggai, 72, were recovered during a special operation by the Israeli military and the country's security agency, Shin Bet. Mr Netanyahu said they were killed on 7 October, 2023, and their bodies taken into Gaza by Hamas. In a statement, he said: "Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the dear families. "Our hearts ache for the most terrible loss. May their memory be blessed. "We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our abductees home - the living and the dead alike." The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum has been campaigning for the safe return of all Israeli citizens held hostage by Hamas. The hostage families said in a statement: "The return of Judi and Gad is painful and heartbreaking, yet it also brings healing to our uncertainty. "Their return reminds us all that it is the state's duty to bring everyone home, so that we, the families, together with all the people of Israel, can begin the process of healing and recovery. "Decision-makers must do everything necessary to reach an agreement that will return all 56 remaining hostages - the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for burial. There is no need to wait another 608 agonising days for this. "The mission can be completed as early as tomorrow morning. This is what the majority of the Israeli people want." Most of the hostages returned alive to Israel so far have been released as part of deals with Hamas during two temporary ceasefires in late 2023 and early 2025. The most recent ceasefire that saw a pause in the fighting and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners fell apart in March. Israel has rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, saying Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. Read more from Sky News: On Wednesday, the US vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that demanded an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the the war-ravaged territory. The other 14 countries on the council voted in favor of the draft. "The United States has been clear: We would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza," said Dorothy Shea, acting US ambassador to the UN, ahead of the vote. She told the council it would also undermine US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the latest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Ex-officer cleared of perjury in police tribunal
A former police inspector has been cleared of perjury over evidence he gave at an employment tribunal which found there was an "absolute boys' club" in a Police Scotland firearms unit. Keith Warhurst was found guilty of behaving in an abusive manner by making a derogatory comment about a colleague's partner, who was pregnant, in 2017 and not guilty of sharing indecent images of topless women to a WhatsApp group. The perjury charge was not proven and Mr Warhurst was given an absolute discharge, meaning no punishment will be given. Sheriff Derek O'Carroll said the charge Mr Warhurst has been found guilty of "would not have found its way into this court" had it not been for the perjury charge. Sheriff O'Carroll also said it was "important to bear in mind the remorse which has been expressed by the accused". Mr Warhurst, who has since left the force, gave evidence at an employment tribunal in 2021 which found that a female officer was victimised after raising concerns about a sexist email. In the email, Mr Warhurst said two female firearms officers should not be deployed together when there were sufficient males on duty. The case brought by Rhona Malone found evidence of a "boys' club" culture in Police Scotland's firearms unit and a settlement was reached in which Ms Malone was paid nearly £1m by the force. Mr Warhurst gave evidence at this tribunal, and the charge against him in the perjury trial stated that he had denied having made a derogatory remark about a colleague's partner or having sent indecent images when he knew he had. During the trial, Mr Warhurst admitted to making a remark but claimed that he did not lie to the tribunal at the time because he did not remember making the comment. He also later apologised to the colleague. Fellow former firearms officer Richard Creanor told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that he witnessed Mr Warhurst make the remark in 2017. Mr Creanor said that fellow officer John Morgan had told several colleagues in a shared office that his partner had discovered she was pregnant. He told them he took the previous day off work to go to a hospital appointment with her because she initially believed she had a cyst. Mr Creanor claimed that Keith Warhurst then swore and said the woman must be fat "if she didn't realise she was pregnant". The jury found Mr Warhurst guilty of this charge, but cleared him of the related and more serious perjury charge. After the verdict and when granting the absolute discharge, Sheriff O'Carroll remarked that Mr Warhurst had since apologised to Mr Morgan for his comments and expressed remorse, which is "another relevant matter which the court is required to take into account". During the trial, Mr Warhurst said he had no recollection of sending pictures of topless women to a WhatsApp group. Mr Warhurst's perjury charge was found to be not proven by the jury, meaning he has been cleared.' Mr Warhurst's perjury charge was found to be not proven by the jury, meaning he has been cleared. An absolute discharge means that no punishment will be given to Mr Warhurst. Police pay out almost £1m over sexism case Sexist 'boys' club' culture in armed police unit Cover-up claim over police review of sexism case
