16:11 December, 06 2011

In early December scientific seminar on migration, which was supported by UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was held at the Department of Population (Economics Faculty of Moscow State University). The seminar was called "International migration in the former Soviet Union: Trends, Implications and Prospects."
 Russian scholars and their colleagues from the countries of the former Soviet Union delivered presentations on certain aspect of the contemporary migration situation in the FSU. Among the speakers was Mariella Sander Lindstrom, the spokesman for UNICEF in Russia. Vladimir Iontsev, Head of Population Economics Department of Moscow State University, and Elena Sadovskaya, president of the Conflict Management Centre in Almaty (Kazakhstan) were also among the participants.
Daniel Alexandrov presented a report on the results of the project "Monitoring of Migrant Children in St. Petersburg," which SESL has been working on for half a year. The project was commissioned by UNICEF and conducted with the support of the Russian Red Cross.
The project ran from April to November 2011, more than 600 schoolchildren were interviewed in this period. Half of the children that were surveyed did not have Russian citizenship. The aim of the study was to figure out how to ensure their access to health care and education. It was important to study whether the rights of these children are exercised, to analyze the mechanisms of their adaptation to the new society.
In addition to the survey that included many aspects (from extracurricular activities to values), children were interviewed and participated in focus - groups, which made it possible to clarify some subtle points that are not quantifiable. The main focus of the study was the health of children, their attitudes toward school, educational strategies, and value orientations. Also, the survey fixed religious preferences, immigration history and ethnicity of children. The research project included interviews with representatives of various committees and agencies that deal with migration issues, family and childhood, as well as social policy in general. In addition, the study included a detailed analysis of the legislation at both the federal and at the city level.
The participants of the seminar were very interested in the results of the project which was presented by Daniel Alexandrov. They hope that more profound results will be published as soon as possible.
You can find more information here.

By Veronica Kostenko