The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Morocco launched on Thursday a new project for vulnerable populations, especially among migrants and host communities, with a focus on women, children, youth and unaccompanied minors in Rabat and Tangier.
Entitled “improving the protection and socio-economic integration of migrants in vulnerable situations in Morocco,” the initiative will be implemented in collaboration with “governmental and associative partners involved in these issues,” thanks to the financial support of the Embassy of Japan in the amount of 151,500 dollars. The implementation extends until January 2024.
Through this new project, the aim is to “meet the immediate needs of migrants in terms of health services and assistance in the form of food baskets, non-food items, counseling services and identification of the needs of migrant populations living in vulnerable situations,” the statement added.
In addition, it will support “the relevant services for the socio-economic integration of migrants through the promotion of employability and income-generating activities.”
In order to meet basic needs, this project “will complement and support the efforts of the Government of Morocco to enable 1,350 migrants to have access to physical and mental health services, direct assistance, services for employability and entrepreneurship through income-generating activities,” the same source said.
In this same framework, IOM will intervene on the coordination with Moroccan partners, including “Foreign Affairs, Health and Social Protection, Interior, Justice, National Mutual Aid, the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC), the National Commission for the Fight and Prevention of Human Trafficking, as well as civil society organizations and platforms.”
Earlier this the wee, the IOM reported that an approximate 2,457 migrants returned to their country of origin from Morocco in 2022, thanks to its voluntary return program.
In its annual report, the organization explained that the migrants, made up of 1,443 men, 616 women and 398 minors from 26 countries, are part of a total of 3,552 people who have requested voluntary return over the past year.
The International Organization for Migration’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration program has assisted the return of 18,000 people from Morocco since 2005.
These migrants have also benefited from the agency’s assistance in finding work in their country of origin, and received other types of assistance during the return process, such as medical assistance and administrative support, and more than half were from Côte d’Ivoire (657) and Guinea (598), the report said.
The remaining returnees came from countries such as Senegal (367), Cameroon (152), Nigeria (146), Mali (117), and Congo (111).
Regarding the reasons for their return to their country of origin, 61% said their decision was driven by a lack of financial resources to stay in Morocco.
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