by Camilla Azzini
Children’s Rights in Action – Research in Romania
THE REMIGRATION OF ROMANIAN CHILDREN
BY ALTERNATIVE SOCIALE ASSOCIATION
In the framework of the project "Children's Rights in Action", coordinated by L'Albero della Vita Foundation and co-funded by the European Union's Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme
Research conducted from March 2011 on a sample of 245 children living in 6 Romanian regions: Vrancea and Vaslui (Moldova), Buzau (Muntenia), Dolj (Oltenia), Arad (Crisana-Maramures) and Cluj (Ardeal).
• 92,24% of children who participated to the research study was well-disposed to migration, but only 76,39% of them have been consulted by their parents before leaving.
• Concerning the return to Romania, in half of cases it is due to re-migration of the parents, because of the failed adjustment to the hosting country and/or to financial problems.
• In half of cases, children migrate and come back to Romania with their families.
• For half of the interviewed children, the time spent abroad is more than 3 years, and it causes more risks in the re-adjustment process to Romanian life. The more is the time spent without interacting with the socio-cultural Romanian background, the more the children’s re-adjustment fails, due to individual factors: 72,05% is referred to habits acquired during the stay abroad.
• From 10% to 15% of children returned to Romania developed specific disorders (emotional, behavioral, intentional, relational disorders) related to their re-integration. According to estimates, this percentage increases by about 1000 units per year.
• Now, parents’ attention devoted to the insertion difficulties is inadequate, because they consider the school as a measure of the child well-being and adjustment. Furthermore, the study evidences the social services and teachers’ inadequacy in preventing and working on such difficulties.