Towards a better embeddedness? Monitoring assistance to involuntary returning migrants from Western countries

Return migration is not always a ‘natural’ process or a matter of simply going home. Particularly forced migrants, who return involuntarily, face several obstacles upon return. This report argues that return can only be sustainable when returnees have the possibility to become re-embedded on an economic, social networks and psychosocial dimension. In this report, the findings are discussed of a research on involuntary returned ex-refugees, rejected asylum seekers and irregular migrants in six countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sierra Leone, Togo and Vietnam. Both quantitative and qualitative methods and data analysis were used to study how individual characteristics, experiences in the migration cycle and return assistance influence the dimensions of embeddedness. Recommendations are provided for non-governmental organizations to improve the effect of their return assistance on sustainable return. In addition, a new role for these NGOs is suggested.