Children whose parents work abroad do not see future in Moldova

Most of children whose parents work abroad do not see their future in Moldova and intend to go abroad to find employment immediately after they complete their studies. Since early childhood, these children are educated like consumers through the goods sent by their parents, considers the director of the Psychological Rehabilitation Center “Armonie” Lucia Savca. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, Lucia Savca said that there are cases when girls have been in the care of fathers since they were very little and they were witness to their parents’ infidelity. In the future, these girls may be jealous or be afraid of being deceived by their husbands. Many children dream of going to their parents abroad to find a job or to study there. After the age of 14, some of the young people experience depression, especially when they remain only with the father, while the mother is too busy and cannot come home. The Center “Armonie” is sought by persons in depression who do not want to live and intend to commit suicide. The psychological assistance provided to them helps them understand that life is not always as they want. According to Lucia Savca, the young people do not see their future in their country because they have the example of their parents who work abroad and have much higher incomes than in Moldova. “Directly or indirectly, the financial situation makes us choose a future far from the country, no matter how patriotic we are. When the mother manages to maintain a family in Moldova by working as a babysitter or caregiver abroad, the young people start to have convictions that they can get rid of poverty if they go abroad. Thus, their interest in learning decreases and they are not motivated to study at universities,” she stated. She also said that no young person in Moldova can buy an apartment and, if they manage to take out a mortgage loan, they hope that somebody from the family who is working abroad will help him repay the loan. Such bad habits as smoking and drinking of alcohol and the deviant behaviors are not typical only of children whose parents work abroad. In the families where at least one parent works abroad, the children receive presents, computers and modern mobile phones and they are educated like consumers who want to possess everything. Lucia Savca recommends choosing well the persons with whom the parents leave their children when going abroad so that the children could follow a social model. The situation can be improved by making phone calls and coming home on a regular basis so that these children feel that they are not forgotten by their parents. More than 1,000 children and young people annually seek help from the Psychological Rehabilitation Center “Armonie” that is managed by the General Division of Education, Youth and Sport.