MANILA (AsiaNews): The Scalabrini Migration Centre [SMC], a Philippine-based Catholic institute, started a research project to learn more about migrants’ scenarios during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in Southeast Asian countries.
The focus is on two countries, the Philippines, the largest Catholic country in Asia, and Indonesia, the largest Muslim majority country in the world.
The Health and Migrant Parents in Southeast study set out to collect data in 2023 on new migrant families and children and compared them with similar research carried out in 2008. The goal is to contribute to the discussion on a possible crisis of care in the area, as more and more parents leave their children to work elsewhere.
Indonesia’s net migration rate in 2023 is -0.376 per 1,000 people, up from 0.27 per cent in 2021.
With an estimated 5.4 million migrants around the world in 2019, the Philippines is one of the top countries of origin for migrants. This number includes about 2.3 million Overseas Filipino Workers.
Dr. Lucy Jordan of the University of Hong Kong [HKU] leads the study project working group, while Dr. Maruja Asis from the Scalabrini Migration Centre and Dr. Sukamdi, from the and the Centre for Population and Policy Studies, University of Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, are the country coordinators.
HKU and SMC conducted training programmes from April 10 to 18 for the teams that collected data in Bulacan and Laguna.
The results of the study will help formulate migration policies and can be used by government, academics, non-government orgaisations and civil society groups, as well as help Church bodies develop pastoral plans and programmes for migrants and their families.
Founded in 1987, the Scalabrini Migration Centre is a research organisation whose goal is to study international migration and understand the many facets of migration in the Asia-Pacific region.
In order to advance the rights and dignity of immigrants and create inclusive societies, the centre raises public awareness about migration and public policies, creating solidarity with migrants and stakeholders.
Its initiatives include the publication of the academic quarterly, Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, and monographs, the organisation of conferences and the management of a library centred on migration in the Asia-Pacific region.
The facility in Manila is linked to the network of Scalabrini Migration Study Centres and the Scalabrini International Migration Network, which brings together research institutes and support facilities for migrants set up around the world by the Scalabrinians.
“Although border closures and mobility restrictions are no longer in place, migration has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels,” said Anna Triandafyllidou, a sociologist and migration expert at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.
