Migration of Rural Agricultural Labor and its impact on Children

 

Rajkumari Gajpal1, Dr. Lukeshwar Singh Gajpal2

 

1Research Scholar, School of Studies in Sociology and Social work, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur (C.G.) 492010

2Associate Professor, School of Studies in Sociology and Social work, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur (C.G.) 492010

*Corresponding Author Email:

 

ABSTRACT:

Present paper is based on findings of Research study on Labor migration and its impact on health and education of children, Special reference to BEMETARA district of Chhattisgarh state. The main objective of this study is how labor migration affects the health and education status of children left behind or with the migrants. Findings of the study shows that in the case of family migration the education and health status of children is badly affected because the migrant labor lived in unhealthy & unsafe environment of migration places. Due to Family migration most of the adolescent come out as child labor in migrant places. These situations create a large number of illiterate and unskilled populations in native state which is the barrier of the development of state.

 

KEYWORDS:

 


INTRODUCTION:

Migration is a complex but basically sociological process. It is very difficult to define it. Apart from being a complex sociological problem it has economic changes objectives also. Migration, the complex one also gives birth to the many complex economic and sociological problems. Generally speaking, moving from one geographical region to another geographical reason summarily permanent or for a predetermined period, process of departure is called migration. As for as urban migration is concerned, as a developing country India has a very special importance for it. In the rural-urban migration there is one very important thing in which are the cause situations, which induce the villager to more to urban areas?

 

In most of the developing countries, the internal migration in predominantly rural to urban type.

 

It has special significance for developing countries like India where it is more associated with economic developments in the context of a very rapid pace of Urbanization and population growth. Rural-Urban migration or rural out-migration brings changes in the pre-established way of life in the villages and raises the economic status of the migrant’s families, which in turn leads to a rising of their living standard and as position.

 

The process of globalization has affected the whole world, specially It has a wide spread impact on as developing country like India, the rapidly growing industrialization and urbanization process in the last two and a half decades where an urban population and area both went up and its area increased from 25% to 31 % and the area of rural population declined from 75% to 69%. Migration of rural population to search of employment in urban areas is not only increase the slum settlement, but also on the other side migrant workers exploited in the migrant places struggling to livelihood among the many problems by agricultural laborers shows the need of a migration policy. There are a large number of agricultural laborers migrated from India’s backward and developing states but no concerted efforts have been made in the country on labor migration policy so far. The exploitation  of agricultural laborers is common issue in the absence of migration policy, various research studies John connel (1977), Najma khan (1986), Olsen (1996, 1999), Jodhaka (1994), Datt (1996), Krishnan(1998), Yadav (2008), Gajpal (2009), & Gajpal (2015), It has been known from the rural areas is for away, there is a lack of records related to the village panchayat. It has been observed that due to lack of records, It is difficult to know the place of migration of migrant laborers together with in the event of crisis it is not possible to reach those migrant workers.

 

In the absence of a migration policy, children of migrant laborers not only become illiterate bout also they become child laborers.

 

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

On the basis of research oriented studies following are the main objectives have been fixed:

1.   To know the socio-Economic background of the migrants.

5.   To study the impact of migration on the children.

 

METHDOLOGY OF STUDY:

Present study is based on explorative research design.

 

STUDY AREA:

Bemetara district of Chhattisgarh state has been taken as study area for present study. In the district village were selected on the basis of Distance or nearness from district head quarter. In this study 207 migrants family has been randomly selected as respondent. Head of house hold has been taken as unit of enquiry. An interview schedule was constructed to collect the data. Data has been analyzed through statistical method.

 

Major Findings:

From the social-cultural background of the migrants it was clear that the number of male migrants was greater. Among the migratory respondents majority are of the age group of 20-40 years and related to lower middle class. The number of high caste migrants was negligible. Among the migrants the number of literate was larger; but the standard of literacy was very low. The migrants had 1/3 people from scheduled casted and scheduled tribes. It confirms that there is caste bar in the migration. All the migrants are Hindus, and most of the migrants speak Chhattisgarhi as their mother tongue, Hindi speaking migrants are only 1.4%. Most of the migrants are married. The percentage of unmarried migrants is only 6%. Among the migratory laborers there were more agricultural laborers and cultivator in comparison to landless laborers. The monthly income of migrants was Rs. 2000/- monthly or less. It explains the very low economic conditions of them.

Among the migrants laborers the number of female members is greater and mostly literate. 4.2% migrants are higher secondary pass or more. In the migrants families the number of active members is large. 35% members are inactive. Most of the family members are unmarried, Majority of migrants are nuclear families; whose average membership of middle size (4-6 members). Majority of migrants are occupation less. About 15% members are cultivator and 39% members are agriculture laborers. IN migrants families monthly income statements make it clear that majority of the people are under Rs. 3000/- monthly; or less.

 

CHILDHOOD AND MIGRATION:

The migration influences not only the social relations but also familial relations too. They include the continuity of social relations and husband-wife relations are main. Migration is the cause of change in the social status too. They may include change in the familial relations, increase in the social status, changes in the caste wise position etc. Migration makes deep impressions on the childhood. This effect on children is more of negative nature then positive. Socialization is the base of children's personality building and migration effects the socialization of the children. Two situations are developed because of the migration: a) Migration with family, b) nuclear migration tendency, under the migration with family the child lives with his parent at the migration place because their main objective is always to have more and more income; they remain most of the time at the work sites. There remains no family control over the children. In such a situation he learns the behavior of the children living around. Whatever social learning's he should have obtained from his parents he receives it from the children and other people residing in the slums of the migrated place. As is well known the culture of the slums is also slum. Naturally it influences the children of the migrant’s family. In the absence of proper socialization, children adapt various bad habits. Resultantly, this all influences their personality in due time.

 

In case of single migration the situation is quite different. After the migration of the father, the responsibility of rearing up the children falls on the shoulders of the mother. In the joint family it does not matter much. But with small family this difference can be very great and serious. Since there is no control of head of family the children start doing whatever they want to do.

 

This situation becomes worst when both the parents have migrated. Under such circumstance the neighbor and relatives cannot look after the children all the time. They can help in case of any problem - that too up to a limit.

 

 

 

 

Table No. 1 Impact of migration on children

S.No.

Type of Effect

Frequency

Percentage

1.

Effect on health

11

05.3

2.

The problem of Suitable childhood

07

03.4

3.

Becoming child labor

24

11.6

4.

Effect on Education

19

09.2

5.

Becoming migratory himself after a few years

09

04.3

6.

All of the above effects

137

66.2

Total

207

100

 

The table cited above specifies that 5.3% respondents felt that migration has its impact on the health of the children. 3.4% respondents had the proper childhood problem, 11.6% respondents had the problem of child labor, 9.2% respondents had the problem of education of children, 4.3% respondents had the problem that their children had become migrants themselves. The majority of respondents 66.20 % had been accepted children were under the influence of all the above effects.

 

When the parents take the children with them on migration or when they leave the children at the disposal of elderly parents or family members, both do not provide the expected atmosphere. Majority of respondents agree that children do not get favorable atmosphere acceding to their mentality. This can be observed in the table no2:

 

Table No. 2 Availability of Good Atmosphere to children in migration places

S. No.

Opinion

Frequency

Percentage

1.

Agreed

27

13.0

2.

Neutral

21

10.1

3.

Disagreed

159

76.9

Total

207

100

 

The table makes it clear that 13.0% respondents agreed with the opinion that their children do get good atmosphere at the migration place. 10.1% respondents were of the opinion that there is nothing to say at all on this point. But the majority of the respondents 76.9% feel that the children do not get proper atmosphere at the migration place.

 

EFFECTS ON CHILDREN'S EDUCATION:

When we studies the literally position of the members of the migratory families we found that migratory families have a large part of illiterate people. Even where the respondents were literate their standard was very low. We can element this as a cause of migration. Majority of migrants leave in October, November months. When they migrate with families the education of children is disrupted and often leaves the schools. The result of this is that the children could get education up to 1 to 3 years only and after the age of 12-14 years the education is stopped resultantly, due to migration the education of children is very badly affected.

 

Sundani and Rukhmani (1998) in their studies about migration have clarified this fact that migration do, what is the position of literacy in the family? Mostly, the migratory families are not so very serious and sensitive about the education of children, Therefore, on this point it was their opinion that migration does not have any influence the education of children-future of children, studying in only one class for years together, leaving school in mid-session, all there are normal incidents for them. This indicates that in the matter of literacy migratory are very much disinterested. The following table shows it all:

 

Table No. 3 Influence of migration on children education

S.No.

Opinion

Frequency

Percentage

1.

Agreed

82

39.6

2.

Neutral

09

4.3

3.

Disagreed

116

56.1

Total

207

100

 

The above table clearly shows that 39.6% respondents agreed that at the migrated place children's becoming child-labor is very much probable. 4.3% respondents and not with a word in this matter; while 56.1% respondents disagreed with this conclusion. The reason being that all these migrants were single migrants. They did not see any child working on the work site. Opposite to it those respondents, who had shows that they migrate simply to earn and in such a state of the 12 years old boys get employment form the contractor or employer then, they do not object. The researcher went to Delhi and he himself observed at NOIDA sector 61 that the migrants were presenting their daughters, who were below the age of 12 to 14 years, as adult girls simply by putting on services. It makes employment easier. Boys are taken up on jobs directly. It can be said that migration encourages child labor.

 

CONCLUSION:         

On the basis of above findings its shows that migration of rural labors Effect the health and education of children in family. These Impact also create a serious problem in society because the habit of continue migration its make them habitual migrants and due to this children come out dropout children and child labor also. As per the state development concern labor migration creates a large number of unskilled and illiterate manpower which is not more useful in the context of state development.

 

REFERENCES:

1.     Connell John etal: Migration from rural area: The evedince from village studies, New Delhi Oxford University Press, 1976. pp.21-23

2.     Khan Najma: Internal migration concept, Theory and Analysis. Concept publishing CO- New Delhi, 1980, p.367

3.     Olsen, W.K.; ‘Marxist and Neo-Classical Approaches to Unfree Labor in India’, in Brass and van der Linden, eds. (1998) 379–404

4.     Jodhka, S.S. “Agrarian Changes and Attache//d Labour: Emerging Pattern in Haryana Agriculture,” Economic and Political Weekly, September 1994, XXIX (39), pp. A102- A107.

5.     Datt, G. 1996. Bargaining power, wages, and employment: An analysis of agricultural labour markets in India. New Delhi: Sage Publications.pp.11-13

6.     Krishnan. P. Political Economy of Labour And Development In Kerala. Some Reflections on the Dilemmas of a Socially Transforming Labour Force in a Slow Growing Economy. Centre for Development Studies. Thiruvananthapuram, 1998. pp.104-07

7.     Olsen, W.;'Hopes for the Future: Generational and Gender Differences in Stereotypes about Suitable Occupations for Young People in India', paper presented at the Development Studies Association Conference. 1999.

8.     Yadav, V.K.; Socio-economic status of migrant labor in Chhattisgarh state, 2008. pp. 106-107

9.     Gajpal, L.S.; Krishi mazduroo ka prawas, Adhyayan Publication, 2009.

10.   Gajpal, K.N.; Palayan ka baccho ki siksha per prabhav, 2015, P.112

11.   Sundari (S) AND Rukmani (MK): Costs and benefit of women labor migration, Indian Journal of Social Work, 1998,39,3 July. pp. 766-790

 

 

 

Received on 12.09.2018       Modified on 18.10.2018

Accepted on 11.11.2018      © A&V Publication all right reserved

Int. J. Rev. and Res. Social Sci. 2018; 6(4): 495-498 .

DOI: 10.5958/2454-2687.2018.00049.7