Nepali workers still see better prospects in Iraq than back home

The war-torn Iraq has been home for Sima Karki for more than two years. She is happy to work there as a housemaid even though she doesn´t draw a handsome salary. She, however, says the money she is earning helps her educate her son and contribute to her family back in Nepal.

Karki, who left for Iraq two years ago, doesn´t want to come back to Nepal despite worsening security situation there. “I don´t plan to go back to Nepal immediately because of lack of employment opportunities there,” she said, adding, “I have responsibilities of taking care of my family as the income of my husband is not enough for all of us to survive.” 

Stating that she left her family in Nepal with an aim to earn some money and make their lives better she added, “I was mentally prepared to endure any kind of hardship when I came here in the first place. So I don´t want to go back to Nepal.” Karki, originally from Birgunj, was taken to Iraq to work as a domestic aid by a Nepali agent named Ganga Bahadur Tamang. She claims that the agent ´sold´ her and many other Nepalis to their employer. 

Nonetheless, she is happy that she landed up in Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, and that she draws a monthly remuneration of 300 dollars, which is not at bad at all - going by the paltry sum most of her compatriots draw in other parts of the Middle East.

She, who had taken a large sum of loan to get into Iraq, says she will try to save some money and then only think about returning home. “In these two years, I have just been able to pay back the loan that I took to come here. I want to work harder and save more money so that I can build a house when I get back to Nepal -- if situation does not deteriorate in Baghdad,” she said. 

A few kilometers away from where Karki works, Suraj Shrestha, 36, too, is clinging to his job in Baghdad as he draws around US 1,500 dollars working as a security personnel in the country. Though he no longer feels like staying there considering the volatile situation of Iraq, he, too, does not want to quit the job yet. “I have been working in the war zone because I have to support for my family and educate my children,” he informed.

Shrestha, who wants to become an entrepreneur after he returns to Nepal, is committed to save money so that he would have enough money to open a business back home. He is, nonetheless, keeping all options open - in case of emergency situation in Baghdad. 

Before heading to Iraq in 2006, Shrestha had worked in Saudi Arabia as security personnel for more than two years. The youth from Nuwakot had left Nepal for foreign employment due political instability in the country at that time. 

He claims that the government hadn´t imposed ban on traveling to Iraq when he flew there in 2006. “If the situation of Nepal was good to enough for me to make a decent living, I would have never left my country. I, like many other Nepalis, want to stay happily in Nepal with my family,” he moaned.

He hasn´t met his family for almost eight years. Shyam Shrestha also has similar story to narrate. He doesn´t want to come back to Nepal immediately regardless of worsening security situation in Iraq. He is working for a delivery company and wants to earn enough before he leaves Iraq. His company has kept his passport in its custody as most employers in the Gulf nations do. Shrestha is originally from Jhapa.

He along with 200 other Nepalis are working in the same company and most of others don´t want to return home if the situation does worsen in Iraq. Majority of Nepalis workers in Baghdad are working in Iraq despite the threat to their lives. They are reassuring themselves that they are in the ´Green Zone´ of Baghdad. The central Baghdad, an area of 10 square kilometers (3.9 sq miles), is regarded as the Green Zone -- free of danger. 

On the other hand, the government has expedited rescue process to bring Nepalis back from the war-ravaged country. Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affair Arjun Kanta Mainali, who is appointed as ´Special Representative of the Foreign Minister for the Welfare of Nepalis Living in Iraq´, is currently in Kuwait and coordinating with international agencies like International Organization for Migration (IOM), ICRC and Turkey government. 

The government of Nepal has decided to bear all the expenses required to rescue the trapped Nepalis from there. The Indian government has already committed to repatriate Nepali migrant workers along with Indian workers. 

The Islamist extremist group, ISIS, had abducted some 60 foreign nationals, including some Nepalis, from Kirkuk, a northern city with huge oil reserves in Iraq. After the Sunni insurgents threatened to move forward to Baghdad, the Nepal government has accelerated the rescue process. 

How do Nepalis land in Iraq?

Rupa Rai of Dharan succeeded in entering the oil-rich country in her fourth attempt. She was aware about the ban imposed by the government to travel to Iraq, but that did not thwart her from her achieving her goal. She took help of an agent in Kathmandu to enter Iraq. She was first given the visa of Dubai by the agent and asked her to hide the visa of Iraq. 

“When I first attempted to go to Iraq, the agent had taught me to keep the visa of Iraq in a secret place so that the immigration officers couldn´t find out that I was traveling to Iraq,” she told Republica, adding, “However, the airport officials caught me.” 

Finally, in the fourth attempt she managed to fly to Dubai via India and catch a connecting flight to Iraq. She is now working as a housemaid in Iraq for four years, and doesn´t have her passport with her and enough money to buy her return ticket. 

The government put a blanket ban on sending Nepali migrants to Iraq for almost 10 years after the mayhem seen across the nation following death of 12 Nepali nationals by Islamist militant group called Ansar al-Sunnah on August 31, 2004. Despite the government´s ban, hundreds of Nepali citizens continue to travel to the war-ravaged country via illegal routes. 

Talking to Republica, Minister of State for Labor and Employment Tek Bahadur Gurung accepted that Nepalis are traveling to Iraq illegally and are undocumented. Kamal Tamang, general secretary of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) said that Nepalis continue to travel to Iraq despite government´s ban for more than 10 years. 

NAFEA, an umbrella organization of manpower agencies, estimates there are more than 25,000 Nepali migrants in Iraq. However, the government estimates that there are only around 12,000 Nepalis there. mayhem seen across the nation following death of 12 Nepali nationals by Islamist militant group called Ansar al-Sunnah on August 31, 2004. Despite the government´s ban, hundreds of Nepali citizens continue to travel to the war-ravaged country via illegal routes. 

Talking to Republica, Minister of State for Labor and Employment Tek Bahadur Gurung accepted that Nepalis are traveling to Iraq illegally and are undocumented. Kamal Tamang, general secretary of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) said that Nepalis continue to travel to Iraq despite government´s ban for more than 10 years. 

NAFEA, an umbrella organization of manpower agencies, estimates there are more than 25,000 Nepali migrants in Iraq. However, the government estimates that there are only around 12,000 Nepalis there.

Published on: 6 July 2014 | Republica