SHATTERED DREAMS AND THE RETURN HOME: BANGLADESHI MIGRANT WORKERS IN THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COUNTRIES DURING COVID-19|Razblinjene sanje in povratek domov: bangladeški delavci migranti v Svetu za sodelovanje v Zalivu med pandemijo bolezni Covid-19

Bangladesh is one of the main labour source countries for the Gulf Cooperation Council. Since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, a large number of Bangladeshis have returned home while many others are about to be repatriated. Drawing on qualitative research conducted with Bangladeshi migrants who returned from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, this article analyses the experiences of Bangladeshi labourers overseas during the pandemic in order to develop a better understanding of why these migrants returned to their home country. The main research questions here are twofold: How did COVID-19 affect the normal socio-economic lives of Bangladeshi workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council and to what extent is their return migration related to the COVID-19 Pandemic?