Return Migration during a Pandemic: Challenges and Interventions

The return to the homeland can be fraught with several challenges, particularly those dealing with re-integration, most especially during a pandemic. While many countries have addressed this issue on a policy level, it cannot be denied that problems still remain especially with regards to the emotional and psychosocial well-being of returnees, as well as the re-integration of these migrants who had to take the trip back to their homeland because of loss of employment, being infected with COVID-19, and homelessness, among others. This session invites papers that address or have addressed the issue of return migration and migrant re-integration during the pandemic. How have community-based groups, NGOs, and governments addressed the challenges faced by returnees? What were the mechanisms in place regarding the re-integration of returnees, particularly on a social and psychosocial level? How did these returnees face the reality of a return home (in many cases, “forced” returns) while their homelands were not ready to receive them yet? How did non-governmental entities address migrant returns and re-integration during the COVID-19 pandemic when governments were under lockdowns and tight border restrictions, and were also grappling with the domestic COVID-19 situation? How has a global issue such as a pandemic affected the crafting of practices and interventions to address the problem of migrant returns and re-integration? This session would like to encourage discussion on this issue and hopes to incorporate several examples from different parts of the globe. Around 4-5 paper presentations will be accommodated in this session.