The survey is part of an IOM project on displacement called the Displacement Tracking Matrix. Credit: JMK.
Prague, Aug 22 (CTK) – Roughly one in ten refugees plan to return to Ukraine in the near future, while two-thirds of adults overall want to return home one day, according to a poll by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the results of which were shared with CTK.
In the second quarter of the year, 1,706 adults with temporary protection from all regions except Zlin participated in the survey. Based on the draft sixth amendment to the law dubbed “lex Ukraine”, the government will prepare a program to support refugees with their voluntary return.
The survey is part of an IOM project on displacement called the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), which launched in the Czech Republic last June. It is intended to map the movement, intentions and needs of the displaced.
Almost three quarters of respondents had lived away from home for more than nine months. In the second quarter of this year, 66% of adults expected to return home at some point, down from 75% last autumn. 10% of people would like to return to their homes in Ukraine soon. Another 1% want to go to another place in Ukraine, 2% would like to move around the Czech Republic and 3% would like to go to another country. Three quarters of people with temporary protection do not intend to move now.
For two-fifths of those who want to return home shortly, the reason is to improve the situation in their home country. Almost the same proportion of respondents mentioned reunion with family. A quarter want to leave because they do not have or cannot find housing. However, one in eight respondents also mentioned discrimination.
According to those who plan to return, financial assistance and help with finding a job and housing will be most needed after their arrival. Some also mentioned children’s education, support in setting up businesses and transport. A third did not know and a third said they would not need help.
Of the people who wanted to leave the Czech Republic for another country, most wanted to go to Germany, followed by Canada, Poland and Spain. The main reasons for going abroad or moving around the Czech Republic are job opportunities, followed by friends and relatives. In the Czech Republic, people most often want to head to Prague and Plzen.
Based on the draft amendment to the lex Ukraine, the Czech Republic will prepare a special program for the voluntary return of refugees to Ukraine, which would provide them with assistance and cover some costs.
At the end of last week, the Interior Ministry said, there were 362,600 refugees from Ukraine with protection visas in the Czech Republic, most of them women and children. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recently urged host countries not to force refugees to return. In its statement, it wrote that despite recovery efforts, there remains a great need for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine and the return of a larger number of people is not possible.
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