Women aspiring to go to Kuwait to work as household worker have warned of fresh protests if the government didn´t reverse its decision to block domestic workers from going to Gulf countries.

Stating that more than 850 women have already received visas for Kuwait, they said they would be forced to travel via India if the government refuses to grant them work permit. 

Organizing a press conference in the capital on Wednesday, the aspiring women have urged the government to reconsider its decision as soon as possible. 

Speaking at the press conference, Kamala Maya Chhetri stressed that the government should respect women´s right to mobility. 

“The government should respect our right to mobility and allow us to go to Kuwait to work. If the government does not change its decision, we will have to travel through India,” Chhetri said. 

She said the government should grant work permit at least to those women who got their visas before it imposed the decision. She added, “Nobody wants to go aboard leaving their families behind, but we can´t survive in Nepal because of the poor job market here.” 

The Ministry of Labor and Employment has directed the Department of Foreign Employment to halt the work permit for domestic workers since April 11 following the rescue of 37 women from Lebanon. 

Likewise, Chandani Rai from Morang district argued that women above the age of 20 are capable to work, therefore the government´s age bar banning women below 30 from foreign employment made little sense. 

“In villages women are married off and bear children at an early age. They do all household chores by the age of 18 or 19. So why has government imposed the age bar on us?” she questioned. 

The government has restricted women below the age of 30 from working as domestic worker in Gulf countries. 

Article 8, under the Foreign Employment Act, 2064, and Foreign Employment Regulation, 2064, states that there shouldn´t be gender-based discrimination against women on foreign employment. 

On the other hand, the government argues that it is committed to make women´s right to mobility more dignified and safer in the coming days. The officials also state that proper investigation in regard to domestic workers is a must to stop modern-day slavery.

Published on: 15 May 2014 | Republica