Bringing children to another country to be with their parents who are based there may have their own share of adverse effects, an expert on mental health said Wednesday.
Speaking at a forum which tacles the impact of migrant labor to Filipino children, Dr. Kathryn Tan, assistant chief of the acute female division of the National Center for Mental Health, said young children and adolescents who have to move abroad must cope with new life and face culture shock.
“You’re tearing them away from their home country, from their friends, from their relatives, from their comforts, and you’re transferring them to another continent with different people, exposed to racism, different language, different culture,” she said.
Dr Tan said such adjustment to a new environment could sometimes lead to substance abuse, promiscuity, truancy and even depression.
For instance, she cited how the child’s studies could also be adversely affected if he or she will have to deal with a very different educational system from that in the Philippines.
“Ang naging isang problema nila ay yung pagaaral sapagkat hindi valid yung klase ng edukasyon na ibinibigay dito pag nakakarating na sila sa [ibang bansa],” Tan said.
Reminding of the sad reality among Filipino workers abroad and their children, Fr. Benny Tuazon, another resource speaker, said time lost cannot ever be regained.
“If you lost time, you cannot bring it back around na yung pag-uwi mo, tapos you will pamper your children, hindi ‘yun eh,” he said.
Tuazon advised parents that if possible, they should just seek employment in the Philippines, implying the need for more time together between parents and children.