UNB :
A group of 18 stranded Bangladeshi migrants returned home from Lebanon on Friday.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in close coordination with the governments of Bangladesh and Lebanon, facilitated their return. The group reached Dhaka on Friday morning.
Prior to their departure, the migrants underwent a mandatory health check -up, including a RT-PCR test, in Lebanon. They were offered pre-departure transportation assistance and counselling services, and also screened for underlying protection vulnerabilities by IOM in Lebanon.
The Bangladeshi migrants were also provided with post-arrival reception assistance in this country and will also receive reintegration support.
This movement is part of a coordinated effort from the Bali Process, through its Voluntary Returns Support and Reintegration Assistance Program, and IOM’s Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships for Sustainable Solutions (COMPASS) initiative funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, to support and protect stranded migrants, particularly against human trafficking and smuggling.
A recent IOM survey of more than 1,000 migrants in Lebanon showed that nearly half of them wanted to return home, said IOM.
With the economy in deep crisis and a political stalemate after the government resigned following the devastating Beirut Port explosion a year ago, embassies have also seen a sharp rise in the number of migrants asking to return to their countries of origin.
The results of the IOM survey showed that many migrants have lost their jobs and livelihoods due to the impact of concurrent crises in Lebanon, and an increase in exploitative practices such as non-payment of wages, unfair dismissal, or breach of contracts by employers, have subjected migrants to greater hardship.
“Living in Lebanon has been extremely difficult as we are not able to meet basic needs, nor support our families back home,” said one of the returnees. “Migrants in Lebanon need support to survive and return to their country of origin. I am grateful to IOM for arranging my return to Bangladesh.”
