A/HRC/11/7 page 13 sanitation), and whether the State protects the child against the many hazards and dangers including those posed by national and transnational organized crime, intermediaries, employers, or working conditions - are a key factor in determining the impact of migration on children left behind.29 49. The attention of the Special Rapporteur has been drawn to the migration of health professionals as a serious impediment to the delivery of health-care services to the population in communities characterized by high levels of migration. This has also affected the provision of health-care services to children in some countries of origin.30 In this connection, the Special Rapporteur welcomes efforts made by some host countries to transform migration challenges for countries of origin into opportunities for cooperation. A good example is the pilot project “Migration and Development for Africa”, launched by the International Organization for Migration (Helsinki) with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, which promotes the return of qualified professionals of Somali background on a temporary basis to Somaliland and Puntland to assist and share their skills with local health authorities, civil society organizations, hospitals and universities.31 50. Assessing the human rights impact of migration on children left behind also includes a gender dimension that requires careful consideration by the State. Research studies carried out in the Latin American region, suggest, for example, that children left behind may be affected differently by the absence of their mother compared to the father, given that when a family member migrates, relations are redefined and subsequent changes in roles and responsibilities affect the daily life of the child. Furthermore, studies by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Tajikistan suggest that the prolonged absence of the male head of the household often leaves the rest of the family destitute.32 51. The inclusion of measures to promote family unity and facilitate the reunion of children with their parents in host countries is also necessary to address adequately the special needs and protection of children left behind. Many parents and other family members initially migrate 29 See A. Whitehead and I. Hashim, “Children and migration”, background paper for DFID Migration Team, March 2005. See also “The impact of international migration: children left behind in selected countries of Latin America and the Caribbean”, UNICEF, 2007. 30 Delanyo Dovlo, The Brain Drain and Retention of Health Professionals in Africa, Accra, September 2003. Available at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRREGTOPTEIA/ Resources/dela_dovlo.pdf. 31 See International Organization for Migration, “Strengthening the health sector in Somaliland and Puntland through the engagement of Somali diaspora health professionals from Finland”, available at http://iom.fi/content/view/212/8. 32 ILO, Migrants in times of economic crisis: ILO/UNDP join forces to make Tajik migration safe, 16 December 2008.