Increasing incidents of discipline problems, behavioral issues, and violence among children are being attributed to parental absence due to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
Talei Cama, a child protection specialist with UNICEF, noted that since 2015, around 13,000 Fijian workers have moved to Australia and New Zealand under this initiative.
While Ms. Cama acknowledged some benefits of labor mobility, she raised serious concerns regarding its impact on children and their caregivers.
She emphasized that the emotional and mental health effects are especially troubling, as lengthy parental absences can result in significant distress for children.
“In terms of the impacts on children, the emotional and mental health impact on children, and this came up very strongly in the research,” Ms. Cama stated. “The absence of parents, children being away from their parents for long periods of time, is causing emotional distress for the children.”
She also pointed out that infrequent communication between parents abroad and their children or families at home exacerbates the sense of distance, leading to feelings of abandonment among the children.
This disconnection, according to her, contributes to a rise in behavioral problems, including violence among children.
Moreover, the lack of father figures has been identified as a crucial issue, particularly for young boys who greatly benefit from having male role models.