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Publication Detailed Description
'Voices' of left behind children in Tajikistan
Journal/Book/Other Title
'Voices' of left behind children in Tajikistan
Year (definitive publication)
2018
Language
English
Country
Portugal
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Abstract
Tajikistan’s economy is highly dependent on the remittances sent home by migrant workers,
making it the top recipient in the world with a contribution to GDP of 50 percent. The continuity
of labour migration, mostly to the Russian Federation, raises important questions and concerns
about the general wellbeing of the left behind children. Children left behind are worthy of study
in their own right, because they are often the most affected due to their relative immaturity and
lack of social power in Tajik society. Using a child-centred ethnography, these children had an
opportunity to express their feelings and understanding and to help us see the many ways they
experience their parental absence and their lives with the extended family. Being left behind in
Tajikistan has become ‘naturalized’, as a result, the hardships faced by the children are not seen.
The results revealed that these experiences are influenced by the gender of the child. If girls were
more open to expressing their feelings to me, boys, on the other hand, are influenced by traditional
and stereotypical views on masculinity and expressing feelings is not ‘manly’. Girls' are subject to
excessive amounts of household chores as well as taking care of other children in the household.
The findings of my research further show that children experience abuse of various forms,
withdrawal, insecurity and loneliness. Yet, they also showed the potential for resilience in the face
of adversity using many ways to cope with their situations like crying to feel better, seeing school
as a safer space than home, social networking and spending time with friends/neighbours.
Acknowledgements
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Keywords
Migration left behind children,child-centred approach,feelings,understandings,coping strategies
Funding Records
Funding Reference | Funding Entity |
---|---|
FPA 2013-0240, SGA 2015-2027 | Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), for the European (Erasmus Mundus) Master in Social Work with Families and Children |