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Core Message
To understand the effects of
paternal labor migration, we must consider the culture, traditions and national
origins of the family. In many African cultures, the conceptualization of family
is very broad. Therefore, the effects of absentee fathers are felt on multiple
levels. To address this problem, governments, NGOs and faith-based organizations
must work together to promote rural economic development through partnerships
that are respectful, engaged and culturally appropriate.
Introduction
Ladies and Gentlemen, honored and distinguished guests, thank you for honoring
me with the privilege of appearing before you today. I am humbled and filled
with gratitude. The subject of my speech today is "The Effects of the Absence
of Fathers: Labor Migration, Urbanization and Family Breakdown".
It
is important that I begin my speech with a brief overview of my own
positionality and cultural perspective. For while there are many similarities
between fathers all over the world, there are also many differences. When
talking about the effects of absent fathers due to labor migration, we must
consider the cultures, traditions and national origins of the family. These
things provide a context from which we can gain a deeper and more thorough
understanding of the phenomena in question. So that we may honor the rich and
varied cultures of those of you here today, I wish to be clear about the
cultural lens from which this discussion takes place.
In
my presentation to you, I speak from an African perspective. More specifically,
I speak as a man, a father and a leader of the SE (Shai) People of the nation of
Ghana. My understanding of the meaning of family and the roles and
responsibilities of a father are grounded in the culture and traditions of my
people. You will therefore see that my speech will reflect this reality.
The Meaning of Family in the African Context
The
meaning of family in the African context is broad and inclusive. A family
consists not only of the nuclear family of husband, wife and children, but also
of the extended relations such as cousins, uncles, nephews, clan heads,
grandparents, and so on. Relationship ties are very strong and extended family
members play a role equivalent to that of the nuclear family. All are treated
with equal amounts of love and care. The notion of family also extends further
into the larger community. In Africa, children do not belong simply to their
parents and siblings; they belong to their parents, the extended family and the
entire community. Each child is seen as a precious member of society; they are
cared for and watched over by everyone.
In
Africa, as mentioned earlier, the family, including the larger community, is
responsible not only for the health, well-being and discipline of the child; it
is also responsible for the education of the children, the transmission of
culture and the teaching of tradition and faith. Education, culture, tradition
and faith define and shape the identity of a people. These things are
integrated into the daily lives of everyone in the community and fathers in
particular, play a crucial role in maintaining them. Fathers not only provide
love and support for their families, they are also the teachers of faith,
history, culture and tradition. They are the leaders, the healers, the
protectors, the encouragers of dreams, the counselors, the providers and also
the disciplinarians. Fathers play these roles not only for their own children,
but for other children and members of the entire community.
In
addition to previously mentioned roles, the African father takes on other unique
roles that are based upon and specific to their tradition and/or culture.
Labor Migration and
Urbanization
Ongoing in Africa, as in other parts of the world, global economic pressures,
political instabilities and other conflicts have led many fathers to move from
their natural habitation in search of jobs to support their families. In
addition, there is pressure on older sons to move away from rural areas into
urban cities in search of higher education and a better life to help their
fathers in supporting the family. The challenge for many Africans is that often
government policies do not benefit people at the grassroots level. This is
particularly true in rural areas. Financial resources and areas of economic
development are focused primarily in the capital cities. In Ghana for instance,
all major universities, industries and jobs are found in the capital and major
cities. There is little opportunity for economic growth in rural areas. This
leads men to abandon their families to travel to the cities in search of greener
pastures.
In
the cities men find work, however, oftentimes additional sacrifices must be
made. Their day begins many hours before the start of the regular work day,
rising early in order to find transportation to work. During the work day,
they must also consider how they will get home. Workers will use cheaper
transportation which means longer lines and arriving home at later hours. The
cost of food must also be considered and factored into the daily budget. These
days, food is not cheap, because of the ever rising cost of living. Often
fathers will forgo healthy meals, preferring to save that money for the family.
In
order to make adequate money to care for their families, many workers must work
long hours at jobs that pay very little. Further, in order to obtain better
jobs or promotions, migrant workers need additional training and education.
This means taking classes after work, which significantly minimizes the time
they have to share with their families during the week and on the weekends. Many
men despite their tenacity are unable to secure steady employment in the cities
and consequently, travel outside the country in search of better jobs. Moreover,
due to the very competitive job market, labor migration is quite common even
among highly educated fathers and young men. So as you can see, a man can hold a
college degree or be a skilled tradesman, but, is still a victim of circumstance
in his efforts to make a viable living for his family. As such, the temptation
to look for employment outside is very real. Therefore, Africa must not only
contend with labor migration, it must also contend with professional migration
and brain drain. In either case, fathers who must leave home in order to find
adequate work make tremendous sacrifices on behalf of their families and the
effects can be devastating.
The Effects
of Absent Fathers
In
order to fully understand the effects of absent fathers, one must first
understand that the well-being of families are always intertwined and bound
together through culture, tradition and faith. The health and well-being of a
single family also impacts the entire community. If a father moves, because the
entire family and community depend on him, his absence will be felt. In other
words, when a father is forced to leave his family and community, it is not only
a father who is leaving. It is also an educator, a peace maker, a carrier of
history, tradition and culture, a protector, a reinforcer and a symbol of hope
has also moved. When a father leaves, all of the roles and contributions to the
family and community are lost. In addition, paternal labor migration does not
usually occur in isolation; as economic pressure increases, the number of
fathers who leave the community also increases. In this case, then, we are not
simply talking about the break down of a few families and the effects upon the
individual members of those families. We are also talking about larger systemic
effects which damage the social and cultural ecology of a community and of a
people.
Family and community ties are damaged or broken, negatively impacting the
structures that keep the community intact. Traditional lines of authority are
weakened, requiring the intervention of, and reliance upon, authorities that lay
outside of the community. The educational structures responsible for the
transmission of faith, culture and tradition are damaged, leading to a gap in
the development of its young people. This gap, often filled by popular
culture, is detrimental to the long term survival of the family and the
community. A family is only as strong as the moral values that keep it
grounded. Without these values in place, the family and the community are
vulnerable to numerous negative influences.
In
addition, when fathers leave, the mechanisms that reinforce traditional values,
cultural worth and identity are weakened. Members of the community come to
suffer a lack of appreciation for who they are as a people. Traditions no
longer seem important and traditional tasks of the community, such as the
reverence for and care-taking of the elderly and sick, are ignored. Without
guidance, children learn to see themselves through the eyes of people who
despise them and to look upon their culture with disdain. They learn that who
they are is of no importance and assimilate negative aspects of other cultures,
deeply damaging their self esteem. Collectively, these are the first steps
toward a journey that may ultimately lead to the erasure of identity and
cultural destruction. Last, and above all, there is psychological, emotional,
cultural and spiritual isolation. In short, the absentee father challenges the
social fabric of the community, thus creating instability and vulnerability not
only for the family affected, but for the communities at large.
Solutions
In
conclusion, I suggest the following as solutions. First, I strongly encourage
the members of this forum to continue the ongoing dialogues with their
respective governments, agencies, organizations and policy makers on all
levels. I encourage you to continue to sensitize them to our platform and
expose them to the values that we are expounding here today.
Second, I suggest that
we take the abundant energy and enthusiasm present in the meeting here today and
extend it to sustained and effective action. I challenge the members of
the World Congress of Families, other religious organizations and their
affiliates to not only identify family issues, but to be proactive and directly
involved in extending hope to people by helping to address these problems and
diminish their effects.
Third, we must ensure that there are sufficient resources to engage progressive
NGOs, who can not only speak about these issues, but who can also create
successful partnerships with traditional and religious leaders and rural elders.
We must find and cultivate relationships with organizations who can work in the
trenches and stay in the trenches, working with and serving those in need in
ways that are sensitive to, and respectful of, the culture and traditions of the
people.
Fourth, we must formulate and advocate for policies that are aimed at expanding
economic and social development into rural areas. This can be achieved by
extending education to these areas as well as creating jobs through the
establishment of industries and businesses. Both governments and donor nations
should shift investment and donation programs for development to rural areas
that have suffered "brain drain" and create partnerships with local governments
and traditional rulers. Last, people of faith and religion must be more involved in
stabilizing and preserving the family. They must give resources for reeducation
and create religious affirmation programs to benefit young people with absentee
fathers. These programs could include: after school programs, vocational
institutions, educational loans, and job opportunity programs. Young people
would be taught what to do in challenging life situations, and more importantly,
what not to do. Girls and young women would be given education and training to
protect them and help them to avoid entering and enduring abusive relationships.
Boys and young men would be afforded education and training on new models of
masculinity, how to become good future husbands and the responsibilities of
fatherhood. Such practical preparation will aid them greatly in fostering a home
environment that is ideal to keeping their family unit intact.
Working together, we can make a difference.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your time. |
