One in three citizens of Moldova did not seriously think about leaving the country

Just one third of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova assert that they have never seriously thought about emigrating abroad, the authors of the National Report on Human Development warn. According to a survey produced as part of the Report, only 38% of respondents assert that they have never seriously thought about leaving abroad. About 14 to 15% of the potential emigrants would like to settle abroad, and more than 20% of emigrants didn’t decide yet upon their return to the homeland. According to the report, Moldovan Diaspora is one of the most educated in Eastern Europe and CIS, this meaning that an important share of the population with advanced professional training, which could contribute to the economic growth of the Republic of Moldova, is excluded from this process. Experts assert that the money these people transfer determine only a quantitative economic growth, not a qualitative one. The report also found that the figure of divorces per 100 marriages among migrants increased from 37.9 in 1999 to 60 in 2005. The authority of the family institution suffered a particular decline in the rural area. As a consequence of migration, a great number of children have been left to live without a parent or both. It is estimated that more than 40,000 below 14 live without both parents and about 150 to 270 thousand children – with only one parent. 55 to 60% of juvenile offences are committed by young people left without parents’ supervision. Half of the teenagers with their parents abroad, have think bad about themselves, and a quarter of them have low results at school. More than 70% of Moldovan migrants work illegally, lacking minimum of protection in the receiving country. More than 80% are working more than 8 hours per day, half of them in particularly hard conditions putting at risk one’s health. Migrants become a vulnerable category in what concerns HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. According to the last census, the number of persons who are officially said to be working abroad is about 309,000 persons, equaling to 20.3% of the total inactive population aged 15 and above. 2/3 of those working abroad are men. According to unofficial sources the number of persons who emigrated from the R. of Moldova could reach 1 mln citizens.