The Aga Khan University’s Brain and Mind Institute (BMI) hosted a media roundtable spotlighting a growing mental health crisis among Pakistani migrant workers and youth, urging policymakers to integrate mental health care into national and migration frameworks.
Migration has long served as a survival strategy amid Pakistan’s economic hardship, unemployment, and climate shocks such as the 2022 floods that displaced 33 million people. Over 10 million Pakistanis—mostly from rural Sindh and Punjab—have migrated to Gulf countries over the past four decades. While their remittances contribute around US$1.2 billion monthly to the economy, nearly 70% of returning migrants experience mental distress.
“Migrant workers face extreme heat, long working hours, and crowded living conditions,” noted Falak Madhani, Implementation Scientist at BMI. “They carry the weight of their families’ expectations but lack access to mental health screening before, during, or after employment.”
The roundtable also underscored the growing burden of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where 84% of deaths among 10–29-year-olds occurred in 2021.
“Improving youth mental health requires collective responsibility,” emphasized Dr. Fauziah Rabbani, Implementation Scientist at BMI. “We must strengthen community systems, address gender-based violence, and promote supportive parenting to build resilience.”
Experts called for policy reforms, stronger bilateral agreements, and integration of mental health support at all stages of migration pre-departure, abroad, and upon return alongside digital health tools to ensure continuity of care.
