By Zoltán Dujisin
BUDAPEST, Dec 24 2006 (IPS)

With a population engulfed in poverty and hopelessness, many Moldovans chose to seek fortune abroad. But migration has been a doubled-edged sword: while keeping many out of poverty, it has also meant abandonment and abuse for countless others.

Estimates point to 10 percent of Moldova’s population, a post-soviet Republic of 4.5 million situated between Ukraine and Romania, currently working abroad either as seasonal workers or permanent migrants.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the economic collapse of the 1990s, Moldovans have been presented with little or no future prospects, poor nutrition, one of the lowest life expectancies in Europe, and extreme poverty for one fifth of its population.

Closely linked to the Russian economy, Russia’s financial crisis in 1998 made matters worse, resulting in many Moldovans loosing their savings as several banks went bankrupt.

The result was a massive exodus. Even though there have been signs of economic recovery since 2001, living standards remain below those experienced under communism.

Being a largely agricultural country, the situation causes special concern in the countryside, where not even employment guarantees minimum subsistence levels.

Some villages have lost up to 40 percent of their active population, as many men and women are forced to leave their families behind to make a living elsewhere. The sight of villages with only children and the elderly becomes increasingly common.

“The most visible effect of migration can be noticed in villages, especially when looking at the situation of children: one in nine is growing up without either parent,” Liliana Vitu, programme officer for the Eurasia Foundation in Moldova told IPS.

A demographic and health study published by Moldova’s Health Ministry last week confirms Moldova is the country in South Eastern Europe with most children not being brought up by parents.

Largely due to migration, 15 percent of children live only with their mothers, 5 percent with their fathers and 7 percent with neither.

“These figures show a sad, if not tragic picture of the effects migration has on Moldova’s next generation,” Vitu notes. “As a rule, these kids don’t go to school; they rather take care of the house and work, being practically deprived of their childhood.”

It is not uncommon for the long separations caused by emigration to result in broken homes. “Families are falling apart,” says Vitu, “women or men are often left for good, having to take care of the house and children with no financial support.”

Following more than a decade of migration, Moldova features now as the second most remittance-dependent country in the world, and the wealth of relatives and friends is inspiring many others to follow suit.

While remittances have been instrumental in alleviating poverty for countless families, analysts agree that the long-term development of Moldova, with a largely agricultural economy, cannot be dependent upon them.

Remittances cannot be taxed and are rarely invested, rather being spent on basic goods necessary for everyday survival.

Another loss faced by Moldova is being caused by a brain-drain effect.

A specific feature of the country is that even the highly educated find it hard to escape indigence. An increasing number of higher education graduates fail to find a job, and specialists from various sectors of the labour market have continuously abandoned the country, especially since 1998.

Yet the diplomas of professors, engineers, doctors, artists, scientists, who form a substantial part of Moldova’s expatriate community, are rarely recognised abroad, resulting in migrants engaging in activities unrelated to their skills.

Irregular work is the norm, leaving migrants outside legal frameworks that guarantee work safety and a minimum of employment conditions. Exploitation and the violation of workers rights’ are widespread, as migrants cannot denounce employers for fearing expulsion from the host country.

Even more serious is the extent to which Moldovans, often young women and children, have become victims of human trafficking, only rarely receiving any assistance from authorities.

“Various programmes have been launched by international organisations and NGOs to raise public awareness, inform about legal ways to migrate, and about the risks involved in illegal migration,” Vitu acknowledges.

Moldova has signed agreements on labour migration with Russia, Italy, Spain and Portugal, which represent the main destination countries, and efforts have been directed towards setting up migrant associations in host countries.

However, this has not been enough: “The problem is not being addressed where it is more ardent: at the level of interior and customs controls, where corruption is quite high and traffic prevention rather inefficient,” Vitu told IPS.

Thirty-year old Aleksander Chrpii’s story is more uplifting. Escaping what he describes as a “terribly bad” situation in Moldova, and after paying thousands of euros and surviving extortion attempts, he finally made it to Lisbon, Portugal, where he found a job as a mechanic four years ago.

With only one year in Lisbon, he managed to bring his family over, and now his only preoccupation is to build a new life in Portugal. “I feel well here, I have adapted, my wife works as a nanny, my daughter is doing well in school and has made many friends,” he told IPS.

“We have been well received here, and I don’t intend to return. At least for now.”

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