Reintegration of returned domestic workers in Sri Lanka: from challenges to opportunities within the community

Abstract

The reintegration of returnee migrant workers in Sri Lanka is a highly challenging process. The overall reintegration program requires strong national and local capacities to deliver services and to harness the development impact of return migration. Therefore, any ad-hoc attempt to do the reintegration may create scepticism among returnees. Programmes should consider satisfaction of migrants' needs in each of the phases (pre-departure, departures, on-arrival and in-service) of their return process, as well as the needs and potentials of communities after return. Reintegration has two interrelated aspects, namely socio-cultural and the economic. Without socio-cultural reintegration, the economic reintegration will be a nightmare. Sociocultural learning that migrant workers espoused at the countries that they were working may change the behaviour and lifestyle of them. This newly acquired values and lifestyle is costly if they are trying to maintain the same after returning to the motherland. It may erode the accumulated capital (savings from earnings) jeopardizing the potentials for investing in an income-earning avenue creating detrimental impacts to economic reintegration. Further, new value systems may prevent them to do some activities that are economically and socially beneficial.