The government is planning to start safe houses for the victims of foreign employment abuse. “We are planning to provide safe services to women migrant workers,” said executive director of Foreign Employment Promotion Board Sthaneshwor Devkota.

The board is providing the services through Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) like Pourakhi and Maiti Nepal. Pourakhi is working with migrant women workers and Maiti Nepal in the field of girl trafficking.

Nepali migrant women suffering from foreign employment related abuse or exploitation will be placed in the safe house and get psychological, medical and other services, according to the board. “They will provide counselling services and reimburse them,” he said, adding that the non-governmental organisations were selected based on their expertise.

Foreign jobs is a compulsion for Nepali women but the destinations are not safe. The major job markets like Gulf countries are not safe for Nepali women migrant workers with hundreds of abuses and exploitation including the cases of sexual harassments being recorded each year.

About 10-15 Nepali women migrant workers commit suicide in destination countries following violence, abuse and exploitation every year. In 2008, about 16 women committed suicide in Lebanon forcing the government to impose ban on the destination.

According to Pourakhi, about 10-15 Nepali women commit suicide in Gulf countries – Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman – each year.

The safe houses run by Nepali embassies in the destinations registered about three dozen cases of every week.

About 200,000 Nepali women migrant workers are believed to be working in Gulf countries with highest number in Saudi Arabia at 63,000 followed by Kuwait (25,000), Qatar (18,000), Oman (10,300) and the UAE (7,000).

Despite government’s claims lack of job opportunities have forced Nepalis to search for greener pasture outside the country. About 3,54,716 Nepalis joined foreign jobs last fiscal year in search of livelihood amid increasing unemployment in the country.

According to Department of Foreign Employment, some 60,622 more Nepali migrant workers joined the foreign jobs in the fiscal year 2010-11 compared to a fiscal year ago’s 2,94,094.

High demand from Qatar in second half of the fiscal year 2010-11 increased the job seekers outflow to Gulf countries. Numbers of Nepali hired in Qatar doubled between February to June while hiring in Malaysia slowdown following their drive to control illegal workers at the time.

Published on: 15 August 2011 | The Himalayan Times