Govt allows Nepali women to work in Gulf

KATHMANDU, Dec 13: It´s official now. Nepali women can legally go to Gulf countries to work as domestic helps. The government has recently approved Terms of Reference (TOR) prepared by the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) paving way for Nepali women to work as domestic helps in Gulf countries.

The MoLTM had prepared this TOR based on recommendations of the high-level taskforce led by joint secretary Purna Chandra Bhattarai.

Earlier, irrespective of the Foreign Employment Act-2007 that envisages equal opportunities for male and female jobseekers, there was a virtual ban on Nepali women to work in Gulf countries. As a result, they had been resorting to illegal means to migrate to Gulf countries. Many of them even ended up being victims of sexual exploitation and physical tortures at the hands of their employers.

“There were several restrictions,” said Bhattarai, adding, “And they had been migrating to gulf countries through various illegal channels. Now, they can go to any Gulf country through a legal process. This TOR is all about managing safe migration of Nepali women to the Gulf.”

As per this TOR, Nepali women can go to Gulf countries through legal manpower agencies. However, before sending them to the Gulf, these agencies must ensure that Nepali embassies in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) certify the demand for Nepali women workers. “If our embassies say there is no demand, manpower agencies will not be allowed to send Nepali women workers to the Gulf,” Bhattarai said.

However, the approval of demand of Nepali women in the Gulf by embassies is not the only measure taken by the DoTM to ensure that they do not land in trouble. Before beginning the process of approving the demand, Nepali embassies should ensure that they would be entitled to a minimum salary, insurance, secure and appropriate residence, among other things.

Saru Joshi, Regional Program Coordinator of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), says the approval of TOR alone can not ensure safe migration of Nepali women to Gulf countries. “Not many Nepali women know that they can now legally go to the gulf,” Joshi said. “The government should spread this message in every village. Otherwise, Nepali women will continue to be victims of unscrupulous agents.”

The government had restricted entry of Nepali women to Gulf countries after a Nepali woman, who was abused by her employers in Kuwait, committed suicide in 1998. In January, 2003, following a massive campaign by the UNIFEM, the government had decided to let Nepali women work in organized sectors in the Gulf.

Regardless of the many hurdles, around 114,000 Nepali women are known to be working in Gulf countries currently.

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