It builds on the work of the first National Symposium in 2011, which yielded Sri Lanka’s National Migration Health Policy, launched in 2013. This was a joint effort by IOM and the government of Sri Lanka and marks a major milestone for IOM’s global work on the health needs of migrant and mobile populations, and for advancing the World Health Assembly resolution on the health of migrants.
A series of three landmark studies, conducted by IOM in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and a number of national and international academia and research institutions, yielded surprising findings which was focal to the drafting of the Coordinated Care Plan.
This is the first national-level study to explore mental health outcomes among children and adults who are left behind, through standardized diagnostic instruments. Key findings from these studies show that there are notable mental and emotional implications on families, particularly children. Further, the contribution of elderly caregivers taking on the burden of caring for children left behind takes a significant, but unrecognized, toll on their own health.
Overall, the studies reveal that post-migration periods are of mixed-benefit to families. The absence of guardians has lasting mental health effects on children and the absence of support mechanisms in the event of traumatic events is also an area of major concern. Despite the positive intentions of migrant workers and many benefits that labour migration brings, these studies show that there are significant effects to the health, well-being and the family structures of families left behind.
“The study findings may be relevant for other labor-sending countries that rely on contractual labor migration for economic gain. Balancing economic gain in the context of social and health impacts form a formidable policy challenge for governments whose economies are dependent on remittance earnings,” said IOM Chief of Mission Giuseppe Crocetti.
The Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine, Dr. Rajitha Senarathne, expressed his commitment to migrant health in his speech which was delivered by his representative: “It is vital that we establish migrant friendly systems and policies within our country. Informed and facilitated migration will make migration more beneficial for migrants, families, and also the society.”
Mr. G. S. Withanage, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Employment, told the Symposium that in this regard, “Evidence-based policy formulation is very much needed and the findings from the research studies will be useful for such process.”
More work needs to be done to fully address this issue. Dr. Kolitha Wickramanage, Public Health Specialist, IOM HQ and lead co-author of the study suggested that “undertaking child vulnerability assessments for each prospective migrant worker family and a coordinated care plan to address such factors by relevant health, social welfare, education and child protection officers at district level will be important in minimizing health and social risks.”
IOM and the Ministry of Health also acknowledge the excellent partnership of the Institute for Research and Development (IRD) in undertaking the research and Dr. Chesmal Siriwardhana for his contribution as the principal author.
