for Migration (IOM). “We’ll soon start preparing the database of returnees,” he added. The Secretary, however, said the number of migrant workers who returned home amid the coronavirus crisis is not statistically very significant. About the loss of remittance caused by forcibly return of expatriates, he said many workers go abroad particularly the Middle East countries on free visa and work in informal sectors there. “In many cases, the workers have no proper documents or papers, so, it is tough to collect compensation,” he added. Placing the findings of the interview based study, RMMRU founding chair Dr Tasneem Siddiqui said 78 % returnees were arbitrarily sent back to Bangladesh, while 10 percent returned home voluntarily and six percent on leave. Dr Tasneem said three-quarters of the returnees claimed that they were picked up from public places like roads and stores, detained and forcibly returned, while one-tenth returned voluntarily (mostly from Malaysia) and the rest came on leave or employers sponsored return for security (mostly from Malaysia). Many returnees claimed that they didn’t get full salary or wages in several months before they returned due to the COVID-19 crisis, she said. She said those who forcibly returned home are mostly from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar. Dr Tasneem recommended that Bangladesh needs to join international campaigns against the arbitrary return of migrants and the Bangladeshi missions concerned should pursue settlement of claims of the returnees. RMMRU Coordinator Prof CR Abrar said though the study conducted with very small sample can’t be called a representative study, it focused the range of problems and hardships the returnees faced in the recipient countries. Director General at the Foreign Minister Md Nazrul Islam said the number of expatriates Bangladeshis across the world is some 1.30 crore. But only 16,783 Bangladeshi migrant workers returned home by special flights during the COVID-19 situation, he added. WARBE Development Foundation chairman Syed Saiful Haque, Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation Shaheen Anam, Director (Training) of BMET Dr Md Sakawat Ali and BAIRA secretary general Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, among others, spoke on the occasion. Migrationnewsbd.com/ob Share 38