It was too much for Andrei Ciurea when his mother said she was returning to Italy to look for work, after her first 10-week visit. The 12-year-old Romanian hanged himself by the river in the central village of Valea Danului, after leaving a note urging his sister to work hard at school.

The exodus of migrant workers from villages in Romania’s poorest regions is leading to immense social dislocation in rural areas. Andrei’s case is not unique.