The tragic news of 72 Nepali students and workers dying in Japan over a 10-month period has sent a shock wave through thousands of Nepali families whose young sons and daughters have gone abroad for study or employment. The alarming aspect of the news is that 28 of them are reported to have taken their own lives most probably due to extreme financial and psychological pressure. There are over 6 million Nepalis working or studying abroad. Quite a large number of them have even received residence permit in their host countries. About 2 million people are working in the Gulf countries in West Asia which has recorded high mortality rate among migrant workers. According to the 2023/2024 report of Foreign Employment Board of Nepal, the recorded deaths of the Nepali migrant workers included 233 in Saudi Arabia,184 in Qatar, 231 in UAE, 44 in Kuwait, 13 in Oman and 7 in Bahrain .
The high number of workplace accidents and fatalities from either extreme weather condition or inadequate workplace safety are disconcerting features of the foreign employment in the Gulf region. They expose serious lacunae in the workplace safety precaution and highlight workers’ inadequate access to awareness about occupational hazards. Many deaths are reported to be linked to preventable factors, like heat stress, lack of protective equipment during work, delayed medical attention and unavailability of healthy living accommodation. According to reports, Malaysia has the highest death rate among the workers outside the Gulf countries.
Strong steps
Over the past few years, the Gulf countries have taken strong steps to improve the working condition of workers, mainly due to the pressure from International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Migration Organisation (IMO), Human Rights Watch and extensive media coverage exposing pathetic working and living condition of workers in renowned international newspapers and journals. The abolition of Kafala sponsorship, establishment of wage protection system, mandatory mid-day break in summer and freedom to switch job before the end of contract are some of the reformed measures that have made working condition more humane and respectful than it was couple of years ago.
While high mortality rate among workers in the Gulf region is often normalised as most of these events are linked to extreme weather condition and inadequate labour protection measures, it is deeply alarming to learn about the appalling ground reality about the exploitation and mortality among migrant students and workers in Japan. Such a high rate of death among the students and intern workers in one of the most developed countries of the world is intriguing. Conversations with the affected families revealed that the Nepali youths travelling to Japan on language visa are confronting different reality than the stories of affluence and empathy of the Japanese society. Behind the veneer of affluence and culture of the Japanese society, there exists a separate layer of harsh reality for the migrants.
Trapped between intense pressure of learning, grueling work environment and inadequate wages, the Nepali workers are struggling to make their ends meet and to pay back debt they have incurred just to get there. The social security provisions and insurance schemes, which should be universally available, do not appear to be protecting the migrant Nepali workers and students in Japan. Those working in hotels, restaurants and supply companies are facing an unbearable situation. Students are entitled to work only 28 hours per-week but the per-hour remuneration is not sufficient for the students to maintain their basic requirements for a dignified living.
According to available statistics, 116,000 Nepalis have gone to Japan on student visa by 2025, though all of them are, in fact, not students. Student visa is only a cover to supply low wages workers to the East Asian country experiencing shortage of human resources. An average Nepali student spends average $10,000 to go to Japan though there are reports of some paying up to $13,000 also. This is a big amount of money for average Nepali families. When they send their children abroad for study they also walk into a debt trap they cannot come out from without the support from their children struggling for their own existence in the host county.
Demographic decline
Now, we all know many developed countries are in the phase of demographic decline. They need workers to develop their economy, support infrastructure building and sustain age care for increasingly aging population. But migrant workers should be brought under genuine working visa, giving them full labour rights without subjecting them to exploitation, humiliation and indignity. Similarly, if a person enters Japan as a genuine student he/she should either receive adequate stipend or should be legally allowed to work enough hours to sustain his/her life and education. This is the minimum expectation of a nation which invites foreign students or workers to build its wealth.
If what has happened with the Nepali students in Japan is a skeleton in its cupboard, the existing reality in which the migrant students or workers die in a foreign country but their families are incapable of transporting their bodies back home for proper cremation is degrading for the affected families. The minimum step the Nepali government can take to end this situation is to hold the recruitment agencies in Nepal and the employers in the host country legally and financially responsible for transporting the dead bodies of those who pass away in foreign lands.
