International Organization for Migration (IOM) Assists over 1,400 Migrants with Voluntary Return to Ghana
The migrants returned from Niger by road, where they were stranded on their way to Libya
ACCRA, Ghana, February 12, 2020/ -- The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) this week assisted 61
migrants who were stranded in Niger with voluntarily return to Ghana,
bringing the total number of assisted Ghanaians to 1,400 since 2017.
The migrants returned from Niger by road, where they were stranded on
their way to Libya. Upon arrival in Accra, Ghana’s capital, IOM joined
local authorities in providing assistance, including cash
assistance—that is, pocket money—to meet their immediate needs,
especially onward transportation to their final destinations.
The returnees told IOM staff that smugglers presented them with
“lucrative” deals to persuade them to set out for Libya, despite
well-known risks.
“The smuggler showed me pictures of Benghazi, a seemingly peaceful place where we would work,” explained one returnee, Koffi. “Once in Niger,
the reality was different. Today, I am happy to be back. I would never
advise anyone to embark on such a journey.”
Following their return, migrants are eligible for reintegration
assistance, which can include counselling, referral to existing
programmes and medical and psychosocial assistance. Returnees also may
become part of collective community-based projects where they work
together with other community members and returnees.
The EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration was launched in 2017 to assist migrants from Ghana and 25 other African
countries stranded along the main migration routes to return home and
reintegrate within their community.
So far, over 300 migrants here have completed their reintegration
process; 934 have participated in reintegration counselling, and 673
have received psycho-social support.
IOM also works with its partners to raise awareness about the dangers of irregular migration and promotes campaigns for safe migration. Since
2017, 124 awareness raising sessions have taken place in communities and schools, while radio and TV broadcasts with similar messages have
reached approximately 200,000 Ghanaians nationwide.
“We continue to work with our various partners to ensure that laws and
policies are in place to guarantee that people have access to rights and basic services here in Ghana, and to ensure no one is left behind,”
said Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, IOM Chief of Mission in Ghana said of the
returnees.
“We need to encourage communities to embrace returnees and help them
re-establish themselves. We need to engage with our youth – who are the
future of the country and tend to risk their lives to find greener
pastures elsewhere.”
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