A batch of 18 stranded Bangladeshi migrants reached Dhaka on Friday from the crisis-riddled Lebanon while scores of others need assistance to return home.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in coordination with the governments of Bangladesh and Lebanon facilitated their return, according to a press release issued from the IOM Dhaka office.
Prior to their departure, the migrants underwent health check-up and were screened for underlying protection vulnerabilities by the IOM in Lebanon.
The returnees were also provided with post-arrival reception assistance in Dhaka.
They will receive reintegration support.
A recent IOM survey of more than 1,000 migrants in Lebanon suggested that nearly half of them wanted to return home.
With deep economic crisis and a political stalemate after the government resigned following the devastating Beirut Port explosion in 2020, embassies have also seen a sharp rise in the number of migrants seeking to return home.
The IOM survey shows many migrants have lost their jobs and livelihoods due to the impact of concurrent crises in Lebanon.
Even increased exploitative practices like 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 countries of origin. I'm grateful to the 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," said Mathieu Luciano, head of IOM in Lebanon.
"Many are so desperate that they want to leave the country, but they do not have the means to do so."
"There is a clear need to rapidly scale up IOM's emergency programmes, including voluntary humanitarian return," the official observed.
"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'll 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."
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