Nearly a quarter of Romanian children have had or have a parent working abroad

Nearly a quarter of Romanian children between the ages of 0-17 have had or currently have a parent working abroad, according to a complex national study conducted by the organization Save the Children Romania.

Italy (21%), Spain (17%), and Austria (12%) are the top three destinations for women, while for men, these are Germany (24%), Italy (22%), and the United Kingdom (14%).

Nearly one-third of children surveyed (31%) said they did not agree with their parent(s) leaving to work abroad.

On average, mothers leave for the first time when their child is 6 years and 11 months old. They are typically away for 3.2 of the 4.5 years, and 58% of mothers who go abroad to work return to Romania once a year, according to the survey.

The migration experience is similar in both urban and rural areas: 61.5% of children whose parents have gone abroad have had only their father leave (approximately 587,000 children), for 20.4% it was only their mother who left (approximately 194,000 children), and 18.1% had both parents leave (approximately 173,000 children).

13.8% of children had at least one parent working abroad in the last year. By extrapolating to the reference population of children, an estimated 536,000 children had at least one parent working abroad in the last year (June 2021 - June 2022).

Based on the reference volume used in the sample, which is 3,896,943 children, nearly one million children, or 954,000, have had the experience of one parent leaving during their childhood, as of the date of the study. The survey's conclusions, as well as proposals for measures to support this vulnerable group of children, were discussed with representatives from central and local authorities, schools, and other relevant institutions at the Conference on the Situation of Children with Parents Working Abroad, organized by Save the Children in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to estimates, a total of 184,000 children are completely lacking direct care from parents, with either both parents or the sole breadwinner parent working abroad (June 2021-June 2022). 87% of parents who have worked abroad in the last year used to or currently send money to their family/children back home.

On average, children with parents working abroad go significantly less to the doctor (2.2 times per year) than children who are not in this situation (2.5 times per year), although medical needs in the two categories are not significantly different.

Children with at least one parent working abroad are five times more likely (560%) to frequently consume alcohol compared to other children. They are also twice as likely to smoke frequently, six times more likely to have conflicts with peers, and twice as likely to be aggressive.