Publications Search
This publications portal is a repository of all IOM migration health publications from 2006 to present where IOM was a primary contributor.
Publications include peer-reviewed scientific papers, technical reports, training guides/manuals, policy briefs/discussion papers, factsheets, newsletters, research reviews, conference and poster presentations. These are categorized by topic, author, country/region covered as well as by year, language, and type of publication. The map reflects the countries covered by the publications.
To browse or search: simply use the filter options on the left-hand side. Alternatively, you can enter keyword/s in the search box. Selecting a specific publication will lead to a ‘download’ link or link to the website where the document is housed. Here is the step-by-step guide for your reference.
‘We have similar sad stories’: A life history analysis of left-behind children in Cambodian residential care
Author/s: Yao Fu, Lucy P. Jordan, Iris Hoiting, Thida Kim, Kolitha Wickramage
Globally, labor migration of parents has resulted in a growing number of children and adolescents being left behind in the areas from where migrants depart. In many countries a single parent or grandparents often act as children’s primary caregivers when parents migrate, while residential care has been found to an emergent caregiving arrangement for left-behind children in Cambodia. This phenomenon raises the questions: 1) how parental migration and other contextual factors contribute to…
Read moreHealth profile of pediatric Special Immigrant Visa holders arriving from Iraq and Afghanistan to the United States, 2009–2017: A cross-sectional analysis
Author/s: Simone S. Wien, Gayathri S. Kumar, Oleg O. Bilukha, Walid Slim, Heather M. Burke, Emily S. Jentes
Abstract
Background
The United States has admitted over 80,000 Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVH), which include children. Despite the increase in the proportion of SIVH admissions to the US over recent years, little is known about health conditions in SIV children. We report the frequency of selected diseases identified overseas and assess differences in selected conditions between SIV children from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Methods and…
Read moreAre left-behind families of migrant workers at increased risk of attempted suicide? – a cohort study of 178,000+ individuals in Sri Lanka
Author/s: Duleeka Knipe, Helen Lambert, Melissa Pearson, Michael Eddleston, Shaluka Jayamanne, Kolitha Wickramage, Keith Hawton, Flemming Konradsen, Chris Metcalfe, David Gunnell
Background: There are an estimated 258 million international migrants worldwide. In Asia low-skilled workers often emigrate on a temporary basis (2–3 years) without their families. There is significant concern over the mental health and wellbeing of left-behind families in this region. No previous study has examined whether the risk of suicidal behaviour is elevated in left-behind family members.
Methods: Cohort study using…
Migration impacts on Cambodian children and families left behind
Author/s: IOM
Despite the large flow of internal and international/cross-border labor migration and its importance to economic development and poverty alleviation, little is known of the health and social consequences to migrants and their families in Cambodia. The link between migration and the institutionalization of children of migrant workers is also poorly understood. This study addresses two key research questions:
1 - Are there any significant health and social consequences to left-behind…
Social Cost of Migration on Children Left Behind: Research Summary
Author/s: Disaster Management and Climate Change Programme, BRAC and the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with Save the Children International (SCI) and Global Affairs Canada, commissioned a study “Social Cost of Migration on Children Left Behind due to Labour Migration”. The objective of this study is to investigate and identify the social costs of migration on children who are left behind when their parents (one or both) migrate internally or internationally for employment. The study identifies the impacts on children…
Read moreWhat effect does international migration have on the nutritional status and child care practices of children left behind?
Author/s: Renuka Jayatissa, Kolitha Wickramage
Abstract: Despite an increasing trend in labour migration and economic dependence on foreign migrant workers in Sri Lanka, very little is known about the child care and nutritional status of “children left behind”. The aim of this study was to examine the factors influencing the nutritional status and care practices of children left behind. A sample of 321 children, 6–59 months old of international migrant workers from a cross-sectional nationally…
Read moreIOM-MPI Issue in Brief No. 14 - Promoting the health of left-behind children of Asian labour migrants: Evidence for policy and action
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Chesmal Siriwardhana, Sharika Peiris
International labor migration has become a vital component in not only driving economic development for many Asian countries, but also in transforming traditional roles of parenting and caregiving practices for millions of children of migrant workers. While remittances, consistently sent home by migrant workers, are one of the highest sources of foreign exchange earnings for many countries, labor migration can also at times create a negative influence on health, break down…
Read moreRisk of mental health and nutritional problems for left-behind children of international labor migrants
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Chesmal Siriwardhana, Puwalani Vidanapathiran, Sulochana Weerawarna, Buddhini Jayasekara, Gayani Pannala, Anushka Adikari, Kaushalya Jayaweera, Sharika Peiris, Sisira Siribaddana, Athula Sumathipala
Abstract
Background: One-in-ten Sri Lankans are employed abroad as International Labor Migrants (ILM), mainly as domestic maids or low-skilled laborers. Little is known about the impact their migration has on the health status of the children they ‘leave behind’. This national study explored associations between the health status of ‘left-behind’ children of ILM’s with those from comparative non-migrant families.