IOM Thailand Seeks Increased Funding for Pakistani Returnees

According to IOM there has been over 1000 failed asylum applicants as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continues to adopt
the stance that Christians in Pakistan are severely discriminated against but not persecuted, despite growing evidence to the contrary.

A Muslim NGO named ‘Movement of Solidarity and Peace in 2014, estimated that 700 Christian girls are kidnapped, raped and forced into Islamic
Marriage every year. They are then brutalized in loveless marriages, forced into the sex industry or used as domestic servants and the sordid pleasures
of emotionless masters. Read the full report (click here).

Over 1 million Christians are in bonded labour contracts where they are forced to work for a pittance with all members of their family, often including
children. Their wives can be called off the brick kilns to undertake domestic cleaning duties and are often raped – most suffer in silence due
to a widespread honour culture.  When one couple asked to leave after the wife was raped but they were then beaten to near death and then burned
alive before their children (click here).
This modern day slavery is increasing in Pakistan despite the adoption of an antislavery law, known as ‘Bonded Labor (Abolition) Act 1992.

15% of over 1000 convictions under Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws are laid against Christians, despite them only making up 1.6% of Pakistan’s
population.  This huge disparity is clear evidence that Christians are being targeted.

Many provinces advertise sewage cleaning workplacements with the proviso ‘only Christian applicants’, The Government states this is positive discrimination,
but do nothing to improve  the inability for impoverished Christians to afford school fees and uniforms.  Moreover bright Christian children
are bullied, beaten and even killed by frenzied Muslim classmates who sadly have been systematically taught to hate (click here).
Christian children may be sanctioned forby the school administration for little more than using a toilet assigned to those in the majority religion.

5 terrorist attacks in as many years have killed over 300 Christians and left over 1000 with serious injuries.  We could go on…

The hate that Christians in Thailand have faced has forced them to return home to the nightmare they escaped, faced with equal levels of abuse, and
potential imprisonment in the brutal Thai Immigration Detention Centres (IDC).  If caught and placed in the IDC victims are now given no opportunity
to exit even if holding valid UNHCR asylum or refugee status. Despite this many refuse to accept voluntary return and reintroduction and have been
incarcerated for over two years.

Many asylum seekers who have now had their initial applications and appeals rejected and of course some of those in the IDC, do now want to return
home. Faced with a life sentence in Thailand or a potential life sentence that might be thwarted by staying under the radar in Pakistan they choose
the latter.

However it’s not that simple.

After having sold their homes and residing in a nation that has exploited them till all they have is the clothes on their backs, they can’t afford
to pay for the flight home, cannot pay their overstay fines and are fearful of what to do when they get to Pakistan with no money.

So many go to the charities that have been supporting them, for assistance, but the exorbitant costs of fines by the Thailand Government who refuse
to waive them despite many remonstrations, the significant costs of flights and the need to provide aftercare once in Pakistan – charities are often
unable to help.  For all intents and purposes for many IOM is the only hope on the horizon.

A leaflet provided by Mr. Hart evidences what assistance could be provided by IOM:

‘If you qualify for participation in the AVRR project, you could be eligible to receive:

Help and funds in acquiring travel documentation to return to your home country as a regular passenger,

Pre‐departure counselling: IOM will determine a mutually beneficial time for a pre‐departure interview with you and you will have as many repeat interviews as required by IOM or by you,

Individual counselling: in case you are interested in further counselling on matters such as the situaton in the country of origin, livelihood, strategies for reintegraton, etc., IOM will organize an individual counselling session with you,

Paid flight to country of origin and onward domestic transport,

Airport assistance at departure, in transit and at arrival airports,

Reintegration assistance delivered in form of a cash grant which can be used to support your return.’


The cash grant on return to Pakistan is only $200 per person.  However as Pakistani Christian families travelled to Thailand as a unit and were not economic migrants which consists mainly of single men – families of five could potentially receive $1000.

The leaflet can be accessed by clicking (here)

Now, here’s the problem!

IOM simply no longer has the allocated funds to help, but are in the process of applying for their next tranche of funding for the 2018 programme.
They have submitted a bid for a further 2700 over a period of three years.  However are not confident that all of this allocation is achievable,
besides they need evidence that demand for the service will reach these levels.

BPCA has been asked to assess the number of Pakistanis that want to be voluntarily repatriated to Pakistan.