Around 1000 Nepali migrant workers die every year – and 90% of these deaths take place in Gulf countries, according to this report in The Himalayan Times. An estimated 2.6 million Nepalis work overseas as migrant workers, and out of these 1.2 are illegal. This leaves them more vulnerable to abuse by their employers, and also means that the families of workers who die abroad cannot claim state compensation. The Foreign Employment Promotion Board of Nepal (FEPB) has paid out compensation to 150 families of migrant workers since February 2008 – an average of 20 compensations per month. FEPB is now running an awareness campaign on 62 different FM radio stations in Nepal to warn would-be migrants of the dangers of working abroad illegally.

Published on October 11, 2009
http://www.migrant-rights.org/2009/10/11/gulf-is-a-death-trap-for-nepali-migrants/