MIGRATION AND THE WELL-BEING OF THE ‘LEFT BEHIND’ IN ASIA

Abstract

This paper serves as an introduction to the three substantive papers in this themed section on the impact of migration on the well-being of the ‘left behind’ in Asia. In the light of recent migration trends such as the ‘feminization’ of migration and ‘brain-drain’ of health workers in the region, the paper provides a brief review of the existing scholarly literature on the vulnerability of different groups of the 'left behind’, particularly women, children and the elderly. It argues that a multi-dimensional approach is needed, taking into consideration not only the economic impact of remittances but also factors such as social networks and gender effects.

Keywords:

• Migration
• left behind
• gender
• international migration
• Asia
• well-beings

The papers included in this themed section were first presented at an International Workshop on ‘The Impacts of Migration on the “Left-Behind” in Asia’ held on 10–11 March 2005 in Hanoi. The workshop was organized by the Asian MetaCentre for Population and Sustainable Analysis, headquartered at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore (NUS), and the Institute for Social Development Studies, Hanoi, Vietnam. We would like to thank workshop participants and referees for their comments on the papers, and the Wellcome Trust, UK, for its sponsorship and support.

Notes

1. Entitled International Migration, Health and Human Rights, this report is part of the preparation to reach the health targets of the Millennium Development Goals. It is ‘an overview of some of the key challenges for policy-makers in addressing the linkages between migration, health and human rights’ (WHO 2003, p. 6).

2. On the other hand, it was also found that women gained greater self-confidence from being more actively involved in decision making and that their socio-economic status improved (Hadi 1999, 2001).

3. For a comprehensive review of various aspects, economic impacts and other consequences of remittances from international migration, see Russell (1986), Chaudhuri (1993), Taylor (1999), Glytsos (2001), Gammeltoft (2002), Adams & Page (2003) and HWWA (2003).