Its been almost two months since the government halted issuing work permits for of migrant workers opting to work as domestic help to Gulf nations, but it remain undecided whether to resume the work permit to all the nations in the region. 

The Ministry of Labor and Employment had directed the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) to stop providing work permits for domestic workers on April 11 following the rescue of 37 women from Lebanon. “We are still discussing an effective mechanism in this regard. Currently we are yet to arrive at any conclusion,” said Jagan Nath Devkota, director general of the DoFE. 

Devkota informed that the government will discuss a preliminary report prepared by a committee led by the secretary of MoLE, and come up with a conclusion at the earliest. “We don´t want anyone to suffer and we have to make sure that everyone is secured after they reach foreign land.” 

However, the DoFE has resumed providing work permit to those willing to work as domestic workers in several nations other than Kuwait. “We have been started providing work permits for domestic workers, who come through proper channels, for gulf countries except Kuwait,” Devkota told Republica, adding, “Kuwait is more sensitive than other gulf countries and for this reason we require more time.” 

Article 8 of the Foreign Employment Act, 2064 as well as Foreign Employment Regulation, 2064, state that there shouldn´t be gender-based discrimination against women on foreign employment. The government has set an age bar of 30 for female migrant workers to work in Gulf countries. 

The government is planning to establish its own center that can provide orientation to aspiring domestic workers. “We are thinking of establishing our own training center under Foreign Employment Promotion Board,” said a source at the MoLE. 

The source added that such a center can help curb down irregularities in orientation trainings. Currently there are 17 such institutions that provide 21-day long orientation to those willing to work as migrant workers. 

The government also started to seek online record of people who enroll for orientation program before departing abroad in a bid to curb fraudulent practice in the sector.

Published on: 3 June 2014 | Republica