A total of 175 Bangladeshi nationals were brought back home from Libya on Thursday through a coordinated effort of the government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The returnees, who had been residing in Libya without legal status, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 6:15am on a special flight of Buraq Air from Benghazi, according to a press release from the foreign ministry in Dhaka.
Most of the returnees had entered Libya through human traffickers who lured them with false promises of migrating to Europe by sea, it said.
Many of them had endured abduction, torture and exploitation while in Libya.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the IOM received the returnees at the airport.
The officials urged them to share their painful experiences with others in order to raise awareness against the dangers of irregular migration.
Each of the returnees was provided with travel allowances, food items, basic healthcare services and temporary shelter support by the IOM.
The foreign ministry said it has been working in close coordination with the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the expatriates’ welfare ministry and the IOM to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshis held in detention centers in Libya.
“Bangladesh remains committed to protecting its citizens abroad and will continue to take all possible steps, in cooperation with international partners, to combat human trafficking and irregular migration,” said the release.