Social Protection for Those Who Are Left Behind as a Result of Migration: Myanmar Case Study and Proposed Recommendations for Consideration

Abstract

With awareness of important roles of migration and its impacts, the objective of this article is to propose recommendations and considerations on social protection for migrants’ families left behind taking Myanmar as a case study. Social protection plays critical roles in sustaining the living standards of families in the sending community while migration also brings economic and social risks to them. The article presents the migration situation, risks to families left behind, and social protection system which would be designed to reduce risks associated with migration to ensure quality migration which is beneficial to families left behind, and importantly in line with ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Vision 2025 in which the development and support of the social protection system in respond to vulnerability of economic and population at risk are focused. The ultimate goal is that migration or labour mobility in the ASEAN community would yield positive socioeconomic effects to the ASEAN community at all levels.