Promoting social work to support children affected by migration

Zumrad listens intently to a trainer’s presentation on the basics of social work. Her mind immediately reflects back to the tragic story of a teenage girl, neglected by her parents.

Three years ago, Zumrad Kenjaeva was working as an expert on women and children’s issues with the Bukhara region khokimiyat. She was tasked to help with the investigation of a 16-year-old girl’s suicide. The assessment of the situation shed light on the tragic incident – the girl’s parents had separated, and her mother had left for Russia in search of work. “The father had abandoned his family and the grandparents were unable to provide care for the two children,” Zumrad sighs.

According to the World Health Organization, the suicide rate in Uzbekistan is low compared to other Central Asian countries.

However, “This issue is too important to ignore, especially among children left behind by migrant parents,” Zumrad says. The teenage girl took care of her younger brother and wrote dozens of unsent letters to her mother for two years until that dire moment.

This heartbreaking story led to Zumrad’s willingness to head the regional branch of “Intilish”, a nongovernmental information and educational center in Bukhara. Since 2013, the center has been providing psychological assistance and social support to vulnerable children in Bukhara region.

Recently Zumrad attended a training on applying a social work approach to address the issues of children and families affected by migration. The training was organized by the Republican Center for Social Adaptation of Children in Tashkent. The activity is part of a project which is being rolled out in four regions of Uzbekistan – Bukhara, Fergana, Surkhandarya and Khorezm.

The project aims to identify vulnerable families and children affected by migration and provide them with much-needed social support. It is being implemented by the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan and UNICEF, with generous funding by the European Union.

The five-day training for trainers comprised several sessions including an introduction to social work skills and ethical principles for social workers; protection of children from abuse and neglect; as well as child and family assessment based on international standards.

The term “case management” is not new for Zumrad. She had participated in other social work trainings organized by UNICEF.  Moreover, from 2009 to 2012, she was involved in another UNICEF-supported project on returning children without parental care back to their families. “The role-plays and case-study discussions once again convinced us about the importance of appropriate communication when working with vulnerable children and their families,” she says.

According to Zumrad, the high rate of attrition among specialists in makhallas is one of the challenges in working with families. “For most makhalla specialists, providing assistance means providing financial support to families. After a few years of work, they develop professional burnout, because they have not been trained in social work.”

Upon completion of the 30-hour course, 20 experts from selected areas will organize similar trainings in the regions. They will share their new knowledge and skills with service providers who work continuously with vulnerable families.