35 more Bangladeshis repatriated from Europe
Around 5,000 Bangladeshis have returned under the arrangement so far, with the highest numbers coming from Cyprus, Italy, Romania, and France.
Thirty-five Bangladeshis have returned home after being repatriated from Europe, including 19 from Italy, 10 from Greece, and six from Cyprus.
A special chartered flight carrying the Bangladeshi nationals landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 8:15am today (23 October), according to immigration police and airport sources.
BRAC's Migration Programme provided emergency assistance, counselling, and financial support to help the returnees reach their respective homes, with assistance from Civil Aviation Security and the Probashi Kallyan Desk at the airport. Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union were also present.
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The 35 returnees received airport assistance under the Prottasha-2 project, jointly funded by the European Union and BRAC. They will receive financial assistance after counselling and training.
In 2017, the Bangladesh government signed standard operating procedure (SOP) agreements with European countries to repatriate undocumented or irregular Bangladeshis. Around 5,000 Bangladeshis have returned under the arrangement so far, with the highest numbers coming from Cyprus, Italy, Romania, and France.
Speaking about the returns, Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC, said the organisation had received the highest numbers of returnees from Italy, Greece, and Germany over the past few years.
He said returnees receive emergency assistance and counselling at the airport, followed by financial support to help them rebuild their lives.
BRAC is also conducting awareness campaigns across the country to discourage people from taking risks to migrate to Europe, he added.
Meanwhile, European countries have taken initiatives to recruit workers legally from Bangladesh.
