The highest number of Bangladeshi expatriates returned home from Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a study.
The study on the returnees conducted by Karmojibi Nari during the period between November 2019 and July 2020 found that due to coronavirus, 35 per cent expatriates came back home from Saudi Arabia, followed by Abu Dhabi and Malaysia.
The study report released on Monday through a digital platform said only 8.38 per cent expatriates returned home due to Covid-19.
Sixty-six per cent of them said they returned on leave officially during the period and 16 per cent said they came back as their work visa expired.
The study titled 'corona pandemic: problem identification and way forward to safe migration and reintegration of returnee migrant workers' was conducted with the support of Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF).
It also focused on miseries and difficulties faced by both the male and female returnee migrant workers during this pandemic.
The study was carried out on 400 returnee migrants.
Some 28.38 per cent respondents who hail from Dhaka, Mymensingh and Narsingdi said they took loans ranging from Tk 8,000 to Tk 3 million as expense of their migration.
However, 27 per cent expatriate workers said they had to leave their salaries from Tk 5,000 to Tk 1 million when they returned home.
According to the study, around 200,000 expatriate workers returned home during the nine-month period.
Of the returnees, only 4 per cent expatriates went abroad through government channel. About 60 per cent went abroad through middlemen and 24 per cent with the help of relatives.
Dr. Pratima Paul Majumder, president of Karmojibi Nari, chaired the consultation.
Government representative, the leaders of trade union, academicians and labour rights experts also spoke on the occasion.
They demanded all sorts of government assistance for the returnees so that they can be integrated and rehabilitated in the society.
The speakers said most of the expatriate workers and aspirant workers do not know much about government programmes taken up for them.
They also urged the authority concerned to create awareness and disseminate information for the expatriate workers.
The speakers suggested the government should provide necessary training and loans as per their trade, experience and needs.
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