Minister: The number of voluntary migrants in Armenia has increased  dramatically, but they have a problem of reintegration

ArmInfo. Many of the programs  implemented in Armenia to one degree or another concern migration. 

On April 23, during the meeting with the delegation of the  International Organization for Migration, RA Minister of Labor and  Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan stated.According to the press service  of the Ministry, the minister noted that this, in particular, is  about employment, managing labor migration, combating human  trafficking. 

"The effectiveness of strategies and programs over whichwe work will  depend on the issues raised by our partner organizations with many  years of experience in this field and their best practices, "said  Zaruhi Batoyan.The minister said that active work was being done in  the field of demography and employment, and stressed that she expects  close cooperation with local and international organizations. An  example of this is the creation of various inter-agency working  groups whose active work is one of the guarantees for achieving the  best result. "It is important for us that we can present our programs  at the highest level, expecting support from our partners," the  minister said.

The head of the Armenian office of the International Organization for  Migration, Ilona Ter-Minasyan, reported that the organization has  been carrying out a mission to Armenia since 1993 to solve problems  arising from the conflict. Over the past 15 years, the mission's  mandate has changed significantly and expanded, including, in  particular, elements of technical support. "Our observations show  that all employment issues are to some extent related to migration  problems. 

Our research and statistics show that about 90% of migration flows  are related to employment. In the case of labor migration, the  protection of human rights creates serious problems," he said.Ilona  Ter-Minasyan also informed that the organization is implementing a  program of voluntary return to more than 20 countries of the world.  According to IOM, the number of migrant volunteers in Armenia  averages about 150-200 people per year, but over the past two years  the organization has supported more than 1,800 people. "In case of  voluntary return, the main problem remains the problem of employment.

 Reintegration is a very important and painful problem for migrants  who decide to return to their homeland," said the head of the IOM  office in Armenia.It should be noted that the Ministry of Labor and  Social Affairs cooperated with IOM in the framework of "Strengthening  the capacity of labor migration management to protect the rights of  migrants." Another program aimed at protecting the rights of migrants  in the most vulnerable communities of Armenia is underway.