MoLE prepares to impose complete ban on Nepali women migrants leaving for Gulf countries to work as domestic helpers

The government is preparing to put complete ban on Nepali women leaving for Gulf countries to work as domestic workers. To this regard, the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to instruct embassies concerned not to attest any demand letters or visas for such aspirants.

According to the MoLE, the move is based on the old decision reached in May this year to impose ban on female workers leaving for domestic help sector in the Gulf countries. So far, the government has been issuing final labour permit to leave the country for such aspirants based on documents attested by Nepali embassies before May 16th this year.

“The permit will be issued within mid-September to those aspirants who got their documents attested before May 16,” said Budhi Bahadur Khadka, spokesperson for the MoLE. He said that the ban will be lifted once the government implements a new guideline to send domestic workers through institutional approach or involvement of foreign employment agencies. 

Before the government imposed the ban, female workers were leaving to work as domestic helpers only through personal channels or individual approaches. The MoLE officials said that the government took the decision to ban the Gulf labour markets such as Suadi Arabia, the United Arab Emirate, Qatar, and Kuwait for women in domestic works after rise in number of cases of workers facing abuse and exploitation. 

In a bid to reopen Gulf nations to women in the future, the MoLE is preparing a guideline which will make it easier and safer for women to work as domestic helpers, according to the MoLE. Similarly, the government is also working on plans to sign labour pacts with major labour receiving nations, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for domestic workers. 

Due to lack of labour agreements, the MoLE officials said that the workers are facing problems such as low pay, exploitation and abuses. They said that it was necessary to ensure safety of women labour migrants as there is an increasing trend of them leaving via India through illegal channels, following the ban imposed in Nepal.

In August 2012, the government had imposed ban on women below 30 from going to the Gulf and Middle East counties to work in the domestic sector. The move had been taken 18 months after the 12-year ban on the region had been lifted.

The government’s decisions related to domestic workers have drawn criticisms saying that it had affected to the rights of women’s mobility and employment owing to the government’s own failure to manage foreign employment and make it safe. The Article 8 under the Foreign Employment Act, 2007 and Foreign Employment Rules, 2007 have suggested that should be no discrimination on foreign employment on basis of gender. 

Main points

• MoLE has asked foreign ministry to instruct embassies concerned not to attest any demand letters or visas for women vying to leave for Gulf countries to work as domestic workers

• The move is based on old decision reached in May

• Government issuing final labour permit until mid-Sept for such aspirants based on documents attested by Nepali embassies before May 16

• Ban to be lifted once govt implements a new guideline to send domestic workers through institutional approach or involvement of foreign employment agencies .

Published on: 2 September 2014 | The Himalayan Times