Presenting a 33-page report on the status of female migrant workers, the panel suggested the government to adopt safe migration process instead of imposing ban to send female workers to overseas destinations, especially in Gulf countries.[break]
Citing growing insecurity and exploitation at work places, the government has been imposing ban on female workers to work as domestic helps in Gulf countries. The ban is against the Foreign Employment Act 2007 that envisages equal opportunity to male and female jobseekers for foreign employment.
The panel led by Purna Chandra Bhattarai, the joint secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management, had representations from different line ministries like Ministry of Law, Ministry of Home and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as foreign employment agencies.
On the back of series of exploitations meted out to female workers in labor destinations, the government had set up the panel to study the status of Nepali female workers in overseas job destination and submit report within 15 days. The panel submitted its report to the Prime Ministers´ Office (PMO) on Tuesday.
A highly-placed source at the PMO told Republica that the report suggested the government to lift the existing ban and put in place an effective mechanism to ensure their safety and safeguard their rights.
“Instead of putting ban on issuing work permits to female workers, the government should enhance their skill,” he added.
According to official data, a total of 114,000 Nepali women are working in different Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia also hosts 63,000 Nepali female workers.
Taking into consideration the increasing movement of Nepali female workers in international labor destinations through illegal channel, the panel also suggested the government not to put issues related to human trafficking and foreign employment in a single basket as they are governed by separate acts.
The panel has also suggested the government to play a regulatory and leading role to manage and systematize the foreign employment sector by strictly formulating a policy signing labor agreement with host countries, dissemination of proper information about job places to job seekers, imparting necessary training, arranging easy foreign employment loan, ensuring timely rescue of foreign employment victims, and enhancing the capacity of Nepali missions abroad.
To check the increasing flow of Nepali female workers to Gulf countries through illegal channel, the panel has suggested the government to stop issuing work permit on the basis of visit visas.
It has urged the government to do the needful in arranging collective verification of documents related to visit visas by the representatives from Department of Immigration (DoI), Women Police Cell, National Women Commission and Maiti Nepal to make sure that visit visas are not used for human trafficking.
It has also suggested setting up Worker Welfare Fund at Nepali missions to ensure timely rescue and repatriation of workers, increase surveillance at Tribhuwan International Airport and enhance the capacity of law enforcing agencies to deliver timely justice to the foreign employment victims.
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