There is no airport announcement, no flurry of luggage carts or imposed delays — time stops for a father, his little girl, and the kind of goodbye that breaks something inside.
He lifts her, forcing a smile; she presses a kiss to his cheek, wipes away a tear.
It paints a moment of pure pain, unvarnished love, an unseen burden many carry.
The Faces Behind the Farewells
While the popular Reddit post states the video is of a migrant worker leaving for Malaysia, the original video depicts a different story.
The child in the video and her mother were visiting her father, who is a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia. The video captured one of their last moments before the child and mother would return to Bangladesh.
Viewer Reactions
The video resonated with many online. Positive comments flooded the post, with many moved by the tearful farewell. 
Some commented on the treatment and nature of migrant workers.
This video is one among many: a brother weeping because he must leave his mother behind, friends and family seeing off a loved one at the airport before they venture into an unknown land just to make their families’ lives better.
The captions twist, sometimes exaggerate, but the core remains — men and women who leave so others can stay, parted by borders, time and promise.
These farewells often go unnoticed beyond the airport. Children may experience missed milestones, parents face periods of loneliness, and migrant workers frequently cope with stress and uncertainty while away from home.
Why Do So Many Leave?
Migration is deeply rooted in survival, not just chasing better pay. Local opportunities often cannot absorb the overflow of job seekers, especially those without higher education or specialised skills. Overseas work offers the promise of supporting families, building homes, and sending children to school. It bets on love, and risk.
While remittances hit new highs, the emotional cost is rarely counted. The wound of separation does not show in national GDPs or foreign reserves.
What is Hidden in the Quiet Departures
Emotional Toll on Families & Children
For many children, the departure of a parent marks the beginning of a prolonged emotional upheaval. Studies from rural and international settings show that “left-behind children” are more likely to develop internalising problems (withdrawn behaviour, depression, anxiety) and externalising problems (acting out, irritability).
Communication with the absent parent helps, but even when phones connect, nothing replaces a bedtime story, a kiss, a hug in person.
Mental Health of the Migrants
The migrant workers themselves often carry guilt, fear, exhaustion. The journey does not end when they land — there may be exploitative work, unsafe conditions, under-payment, homesickness.
Many have sold assets or borrowed heavily to pay recruitment agents. When things go wrong — job offers that vanish, contracts broken — returning home feels like failure even if it is not.
Economic Necessity vs Human Cost
Remittances are a lifeline. For countries that send many overseas workers, remittances support education, health care, village infrastructure — they help reduce poverty.
But the system has cracks. High migration fees, corrupt intermediaries, delayed payments, or unsafe conditions abroad make the promise precarious.
Singapore’s View: A Mirror & A Threshold
For many in Singapore, migrant workers are visible — in construction sites, dormitories, on weekdays at HDB estates — yet their stories remain distant.
The goodbyes we see in clips on social media remind us: those men and women are not just “foreign workers;” they are fathers, mothers, daughters, and sons.
Watch the videos here:
Bangladeshi worker leaving for Malaysia- his little girl’s goodbye will break your heart 💔
byu/Several_Help_4151 inBolehland
@tahsin_1m বিদায় শব্দটা খুব কষ্টের 💔😭। একে একে সব ভাই গুলা প্রবাসে চলে যাচ্ছে ✈️😭 @nazmulhassan8719 #foryou #tahsin_1m
@user523693152 এই ভাইটার আজ ফ্রাইট অনোদিকে তার মা মারা গেছে সে এখোন কিকরবে তার মাকে এখন মাটিদিতে জাবে না সে বিদেসে জাবে
More from Wake Up Singapore:-
Why Second-Generation Singaporeans Like Shazneen Hasan Champion Migrant Workers’ Rights Today
A Christmas to Remember: Spreading Kindness to Singapore’s Migrant Workers
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