‘Women left behind’ means in Morocco women with husbands who migrated to Europe or the Middle East. In Europe, ‘being left behind’ has another meaning: migrant women and youngsters, especially girls and children, living in Europe, being left behind in their country of origin by their husbands and fathers, particularly in summer holidays. The husband and father takes their passports and return papers and leaves Morocco back to the country of residence. In this paper we focus on this still unknown form of gendered forced return migration. Morocco is not the only country were women and youngsters are left behind. In the Netherlands a hotline has been set-up. ‘Being left behind’ is reported by migrants from many countries. But Morocco, Somalia and Turkey exhibit the highest rates. Of course these rates are related to the number of these migrant groups living in the Netherlands and to the awareness of the existence of the hotline. But for this paper the gendered notion is relevant. Marriage migration is the only ... : Ikhtilaf Journal of Critical Humanities and Social Studies, Vol. 1 No. 3-4 (2020): Routes and Roots: Migration across Africa and the Mediterranean ...