Staff Reporter :
A total of 174 irregular Bangladeshi migrants returned home from Libya on Tuesday afternoon and most of them were the victims of human trafficking.
Through coordinated efforts by the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, with support from the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), they returned at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 2:30 pm on a chartered flight. The returnees had expressed their willingness to voluntarily return to Bangladesh, Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
According to officials, most of the returnees had entered Libya illegally, lured by human traffickers with promises of reaching Europe by sea.
Many reportedly suffered kidnapping and torture at the hands of smugglers and criminal groups during their stay in Libya.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, and IOM welcomed the returnees at the airport.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged them to share their harrowing experiences with others to raise awareness about the dangers of irregular migration.
IOM provided each returnee with travel allowances, food supplies, and basic medical assistance upon arrival.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, and IOM continue to work together to ensure the safe repatriation of other Bangladeshi nationals detained in various Libyan detention centres.
