They are also Parents They Are Also Parents - A Study on Migrant Workers | Page 10

CCR CSR | A Study on Migrant Workers with Left-behind Children in China | August 2013
CCR CSR | A Study on Migrant Workers with Left-behind Children in China | August 2013
problems of this kind not only threaten the healthy development of roughly According to the findings of this study, it is still very rare for business
90 million children, but also the lives of millions of migrant workers – their management to consider the needs of parent migrant workers and to provide
parents and families. them with appropriate support. Some companies invest in after-hours
community schooling for left-behind children, while others cooperate with
Bearing these factors in mind, the purpose of this study is twofold:
non-governmental and civil society organisations to provide migrant children
and left-behind children with one-off or short-term public services such as
• To listen to the migrant workers, in order to establish a social reunion programs and teaching assistance. But few businesses invest in long-
support system aimed at creating a better environment for them and term services, as part of their social responsibility strategy. A 2011 report
their children. on “Chinese enterprise social responsibility” has shown that, of a sample
A review of background literature for this study shows that the lack of a 300 businesses, 70% were making no efforts to engage in CSR programs.
social support system makes it difficult for migrant parents to balance family Interviews carried out for this study also revealed that businesses largely
finances and the needs of their children, and that the questions of who should had very limited knowledge of CSR – seeing it as more a concept than a
provide the relevant support and by what means, are important to consider. systematic practice involving employee participation. As such, this research
To date, no previous study had properly addressed the questions on the aims to promote participation in CSR programs by businesses in order to
relationship between migrant workers and their children, including migrant better assist migrant worker parents, and to provide relevant information on
workers’ awareness of parenting, the services and support needed, as well as the protection of children’s rights, social responsibility and public policy.
the impact of family hardship on employment and parents’ decision making.
What’s more, without the voice and perspective of the parents being taken
1.2 The migrant workers’ children-relationship perspective
into account, the policy and assistance provided to migrant families is unlikely
to be effective. As such, this study reflects on the conditions and experiences An innovative aspect of this study is the emphasis it places on considering
of parent migrant workers, advocating that businesses and communities the issues discussed above from the child-parent-relationship perspective. As
establish social-support systems, providing better growth environments for such, the migrant workers interviewed are divided into three broad categories:
the children. parents of migrant children, parents of left-behind children, and younger
migrant workers who are not yet parents. The three groups differ in terms
• To solicit opinions from multinational corporations, suppliers and of family structure, motivation for taking up migrant work, the connection
families, and explore possibilities for CSR action to their hometowns, and also their patterns of consumption. Classifying
According to the 2011 survey of migrant workers by the National Bureau of them into three categories helps us to get a better understanding about how
Statistics, age and marital status play an important role in migrant workers children and their wellbeing influence their migrant worker parents.
choice of a workplace. Married and relatively older rural Chinese are more
likely to work near home so that they can look after their families. However, It should be mentioned that migrant workers have previously been considered
as the younger generation of migrant workers marries and starts their own as a collective work force rather than as groups of diversified individuals. This
families, the issue of support provided by companies will be increasingly study has been conducted in the hope that regarding migrant workers as
relevant to successful business operations. individuals facing a variety of circumstances will provide for a more accurate
and comprehensive understanding of their situation. As such, this study is
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