Joanita and her husband live in two different countries to support their family and remittances sent back home have been a lifeline for them. Migrant workers sent US $669 billion back to their families in remittance-reliant countries in 2023. PHOTO:IOM/Maulana Iberahim
(United Nations)* — It is projected that by 2030 more than US$ 5 trillion will have been sent home by migrants to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with much of this money going directly to rural areas where 80 percent of the world’s poor live, facing food shortages and the impacts of climate change.
Geneva / Shabwah, 11 June 2024 (IOM)* – At least 49 migrants have died and 140 others remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen. The vessel carrying 260 migrants capsized yesterday (10 June) near Alghareef Point in Shabwah governorate. Among those that lost their lives in the devastating tragedy are 31 women and six children.
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Boats used by smugglers. The Eastern Horn of Africa route to Yemen is one of the most dangerous migration routes. Photo: IOM/Djibouti 2021.
“This recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges and ensure the safety and security of migrants along migration routes,” said Mohammedali Abunajela, IOM Spokesperson.
(UN News)* —Horrific violence and the risk of famine continue to stalk the people of Sudan, UN humanitarians warned on Friday [], as they echoed condemnation by UN Secretary-General António Guterres of an attack on a village south of Khartoum two days ago that is now believed to have left more than 100 dead.
“The UN Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack reportedly carried out on 5 June by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Wad Al-Noura village, Jazira state, which is said to have killed over 100 people,” his Spokesperson said in a statement overnight, which also underscored “the immense suffering of the Sudanese population as a result of the continued hostilities”.
Geneva/Berlin, 26 March 2024 (IOM)* –-As the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project marks its ten-year milestone, a new report reveals alarming trends in migrant deaths and disappearances over the past decade.
The identities of those who have lost their lives largely remain unknown. Photo: Eva Sibanda/IOM Djibouti 2023
More than one-third of deceased migrants whose country of origin could be identified come from countries in conflict or with large refugee populations, highlighting the dangers faced by those attempting to flee conflict zones without safe pathways.
Geneva, 22 March 2024 (IOM)* — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is profoundly shocked and alarmed by the discovery of at least 65 migrants’ bodies in a mass grave in Southwest Libya.
The circumstance of their death and nationalities remains unknown, but it is believed that they died in the process of being smuggled through the desert.
The Malaysian government is detaining about 12,000 migrants and refugees, including 1,400 children, in conditions that put them at serious risk of physical abuse and psychological harm.
Geneva/ Berlin, 6 March 2024 (IOM)* -– At least 8,565 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2023, making it the deadliest year on record, according to data collected by IOM’s Missing Migrants Project.
In the ten years since the Missing Migrants Project was established, more than 63,000 deaths and disappearances have been documented worldwide. Illustration: Roberta Aita, IOM GMDAC
The 2023 death toll represents a tragic increase of 20 per cent compared to 2022, highlighting the urgent need for action to prevent further loss of life.
“As we mark the Missing Migrants Project’s ten years, we first remember all these lives lost. Every single one of them is a terrible human tragedy that reverberates through families and communities for years to come,” said IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels.
Libya, 2 FEBRUARY 2024 (IOM)* –– In 2021, Owehidi – a father of three – set out from Bangladesh to Libya, seeking to secure a better income to help his family. He eventually settled in the city of Derna where he worked as a butcher. He was warmly welcomed into the tightly knit and mutually supportive community of Bangladeshi migrant workers.
Bangladeshi migrants board their flight back to Dhaka from Benina International Airport, a return to roots and reunion. Photo: IOM Libya 2023/Mouied Duffani
He was thrilled with this new beginning, seeing it as a step towards a more prosperous life for his family.
(Beirut) – Representatives of two construction companies in Saudi Arabiaannounced recently that migrant workers will get their long overdue unpaid wages, but gaps in the repayment scheme puts the payments at risk, Human Rights Watch said on 29 February 2024.
Jaffna, Sri Lanka,12 January 2024 (IOM)* – It is a sunny day and Selvan is heading out on his motorcycle to buy groceries from a nearby shop. The direct sunlight disturbs him, making it hard to concentrate on the road.
Selvan, 47, was one of the 303 Sri Lankan migrants who smugglers abandoned at sea for 28 days. Photo: IOM 2023/Anushma Shrestha
His vision blurs, the panic grows: he is back on a sinking ship packed with more than 300 other people, pounded by relentless waves, struggling to control his body. Steering his motorcycle through Jaffna, heart pounding, Selvan, 47, struggles for breath, overwhelmed by the primal fear of drowning.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 