The negative impact of women’s foreign employment on their children: an emperical study at Addalaichenai, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lanka is a major exporter of women workers all over the world especially in Middle East countries as well. The Sri Lankan government encourages labour migration of both men and women since their trade liberalization, 1977. In fact, part of the function of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment established in 1985, has been training and recruiting women workers as domestic helpers for overseas employment. 65 percent of workers migrated from Sri Lanka in 1990 were women (Anuja Agrewal, 2006). The departure to foreign employment has increased by 7.36 percent from 2011. As the Sri Lankan economy depends heavily on the remittance of migrant workers, government promotes female migration. Sri Lanka got more foreign exchange as 600 million in 2012 (Rauff zain, 2014). At the same time, women’s foreign employment has deleterious effects on the well – being of children in Sri Lanka. According to this, the objective of this study is to evaluate the negative impacts of women’s foreign employment on their children in Addalaichenai divisional secretariat area. Survey conducted between the year 2012 and May 2014. The study takes the form of qualitative, quantitative research and depends on focus group discussions and key informant interviews which are both primary and secondary. The results indicate that although the women’s foreign employment has positive economic impact of remittances, on the other hand the female migration effects on the well – being of children in different dimensions such as education, health, psychology, physically. Further it is also observed that women’s foreign employment cause to early marriage and sexual abuse in the research, at Addalaichenai divisional secretariat at area. Moreover, this research draw up few recommendations such as implement existing strictures and policies, providing support services to children left behind, care givers and mothers and providing public awareness and capacity building programs on serving the children.