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 this 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.

Also read: Bangladesh top source country for migrants reaching EU via risky Meditarranean route 

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.

Also read: 49 Bangladeshi migrants rescued from Mediterranean

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.”

“Many migrants are reaching out to IOM for help. They have lost their jobs. They are hungry, they cannot access medical care, and feel unsafe. Many are so desperate that they want to leave the country, but they do not have the means to do so,” said Mathieu Luciano, Head of IOM in Lebanon. 

There is a clear need to rapidly scale up IOM’s emergency programmes, including voluntary humanitarian return, he added.

“The economic crisis coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of Bangladeshi migrants in Lebanon,” said Giorgi Gigauri, IOM Bangladesh’s Chief of Mission. 

“We will continue to work with the relevant governments, donors, and partners whose efforts are highly appreciated to facilitate voluntary return and reintegration of migrants in vulnerable situations,” he added.

“IOM initiated voluntary return support to Bangladeshi migrants from Lebanon after the Beirut port explosion,” said Abdullah Al Mamun, Counsellor (Labour) and Head of Chancery at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Beirut. 

“The Embassy of Bangladesh in Beirut extends its gratitude to IOM and emphasizes the importance of partnership and cooperation to facilitate the return of more people in need,” he said.

IOM together with other UN agencies and NGOs have launched a coordinated, multi-sectoral 12-month Emergency Response Plan (ERP) 2021-2022 to address the growing needs of the most vulnerable Lebanese and migrants affected by the crisis and provide critical life-saving humanitarian support. 

The USD 378.5 million plan, complements the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) and UNRWA programmes to Syrian and Palestinian refugees, and the communities hosting them.