International Organization for Migration (IOM) facilitated the safe return of 160 Bangladeshi migrants stranded in Libya under its Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme on Wednesday.  The flight carrying the returnees left Benghazi, Libya on Tuesday and landed at Dhaka’s Hazarat Shajalal International Airport (HSIA) on Wednesday.  Also Read: 28,849 Bangladeshi expats to return home: FM The returnees including 159 men and one woman were stranded in Libya due to the COVID-19 pandemic and protracted political instability.  IOM assisted with the safe return of these migrants in coordination with the Embassy of Bangladesh in Libya.  The body of one Bangladeshi national who died in Libya was also repatriated on this flight. Prior to departure, the returnees underwent health checks, were offered pre-departure transportation assistance, counselling services and screened for underlying protection vulnerabilities by IOM. Given the current COVID- 19 situation, all returnees were also provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) and took a COVID-test (PCR) prior to departure. In Dhaka, government officials and IOM Bangladesh staff received and supported the migrants at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.  Also Read: Returnee migrants: Almost half still unemployed, 28% in debt At the airport, the returnees each received cash for transportation from IOM to help them get home. Besides,, the returnees will each receive a reintegration grant from IOM.  Reintegration support is particularly important for migrants who, in some cases, have experienced physical and psychological trauma while stranded in Libya.  One of the returnees said, “Life in Libya was very dangerous as hostilities continued there. I decided to return to my country as I could not earn enough money. It was very difficult to stay over there. I am grateful to IOM and the Government of Bangladesh for arranging my flight home. I am very happy that I will see my family after years.”  Giorgi Gigauri, IOM Bangladesh’s Chief of Mission said stranded Bangladeshi migrants find themselves in precarious conditions in Libya, and COVID-19 has exacerbated their vulnerabilities. "It is our number one priority to provide these returnees with a safe and dignified way to get home, and to support reintegration into their communities. To do this, we continue to work closely and constructively with the Government of Bangladesh, and I thank them for their ongoing efforts.” IOM’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return Programme can be life-saving for migrants stranded or in detention, especially in conflict-ridden countries. Since 2015, a total of 2,942 Bangladeshi migrants have returned from Libya through the Programme, which is a part of the larger EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration.  The programme facilitates orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration management through the development of rights-based and development-focused policies and processes on protection and sustainable reintegration.  The necessity of the VHR programme was magnified in 2020, when 30 migrants—including 26 Bangladeshis—were shot and killed in a smuggling warehouse in the Libyan town of Mizdah. The flight was made possible with support from the EU Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) through the EU-IOM Joint Initiative, supported by the European Union.  

Nearly 48% of the Bangladeshi migrant workers, who were forced to return home last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, are now dependent on loans and relatives' support in the absence of any regular source of income, says a Brac survey. Many of them returned due to fear of getting infected, some lost jobs as companies closed operations, some returned permanently, while others returned on leave. Also read: 70pc Bangladeshi returnee migrants struggling to find jobs: IOM Many of them could not get back to their old jobs or migrate again to find a new job because of global lockdown. This has left 98% of such returnees with severe anxiety, depression, and psychological disorders.  Read WB approves $200 million to help Dhaka support urban poor, migrants The other 52% have started small businesses or are working as day labourers to make a living, said the Brac Migration Program survey titled "Searching and Analysing the Socio-economic Status of Returnees." Brac surveyed 417 Bangladeshi returnees across seven divisions from March to April 2021 to explore and analyse their socio-economic and psycho-social situation, one year after their return to Bangladesh amid the pandemic. Also read: MoU signed for helping returnee migrants The majority of the respondents were returnees from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and others returned from Italy, the UK, and Malaysia. Around 19% of the respondents said they had returned to Bangladesh after losing their job, whereas 16% were forced to return, 16% returned due to the fear of Covid-19, 12% returned permanently, 2% returned due to illness, and 35% returned on leave. Some 28% of the respondents claimed to be already in debt. Also read: Over half of returnee migrants in need of financial aid now: Brac Nearly 5 lakh people had to return to Bangladesh from their host countries due to the pandemic which has been raging since the end of 2019, the study says. More than 10 million Bangladeshi expatriates are working across the globe now. The country’s remittance inflow reached $22 billion last year despite the virus outbreak, the highest on record. Read Govt to expats: Don’t come during lockdown, except for emergencies

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) on Tuesday urged the government to set a 2 percent loan interest rate for migrants affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

In an effort to re-establish the returnee migrant workers, affected during the pandemic coronavirus situation, the government has taken steps to provide Tk 200 crore as loan.

The returnee migrants who were forced to or chose to return home amid the coronavirus pandemic are increasingly running out of options in terms of returning to their livelihoods, whether at home or abroad.

A survey released by Bangladesh-based international development organization Brac on Friday reveals 87 percent of the country’s returnee migrants- amid the COVID-19 pandemic - are still struggling without any source of income in their changed circumstances.

The government on Tuesday said it will arrange loans for returnee migrant workers to enable them pursue viable income activities, particularly in the agriculture sector.   The loans, to be arranged by the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment will be up to Tk ‪500,000-700,000.   Meanwhile, the government announced that every Bangladeshi returnee will be given Tk ‪5,000 on arrival at the airport as conveyance and the families of expatriate workers who died of coronavirus will be given Tk ‪300,000 each.    In continuation of two previous meetings to address the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic, particularly repatriation of stranded Bangladeshi citizens abroad, the third meeting of the same nature was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which discussed the issues.     The meeting was presided over by Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.  Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Imran Ahmed, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, Principal Staff Officer (Armed Forces Division), Chairman Civil Aviation Authority, secretaries and senior officials from different ministries, divisions, and agencies were present at the meeting.   A range of issues relating to repatriation, nationality verification, quarantine, relief for the expatriates, coordination among departments, sending medicines and medical equipment to friendly countries, post repatriation preparedness were discussed elaborately.   As a goodwill gesture, a medical team equipped with medical gadgets and medicine from the Armed Forces Division has been sent to help Kuwait in this critical moment.      Also, as a friendly gesture, Bangladesh is sending food stuff, medicines, medical equipment and other items to Maldives, the Foreign Ministry said.    A consignment of medicines and medical items will be sent to Bhutan shortly. Bangladesh is also planning to send similar items to other countries in need.   The Armed Forces Division (AFD), in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has been working to prepare quarantine centres at different places in Dhaka and other districts with a capacity of around 4,000 persons for institutional quarantine.    The AFD has been in close liaison with the Health Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh for post-arrival formalities including quarantine of the returnees.    Foreign Ministry will coordinate with CAAB for smooth airport reception and ease in landing permission of special flights carrying Bangladesh nationals from different countries.