Nepal Embassy in Kuwait has shut down its shelter after Kuwait Government established a similar center to help distressed migrant workers.

The decision was taken after Social Affairs and Labor Ministry in Kuwait established Expatriate Lodging Center to provide shelter to distressed migrant workers, especially house maids and help them repatriate home after necessary legal procedures.

The embassy in a statement on Sunday clarified that the decision will not affect the service the embassy was providing to distressed house-maids. India, Sri Lanka, Philippines and other countries have already shifted their workers to newly-established Expatriate Lodging Center.

Earlier, the embassy had its own shelter, which could provide shelter to 300 distressed house maids at a time. The number of housemaids coming there for shelter had come down sharply after the government put a ban on sending house maids to Kuwait.

Currently, 54 house maids were taking shelter in the embassy awaiting their return home. All the house maids were sent to the Expatriate Lodging Center on Monday as it provides them with lodging, food and treatment, according to the embassy.

The embassy said it is coordinating with concerned Kuwaiti authorities to complete necessary legal formalities to send them home as early as possible. "Those housemaids coming to seek the embassy's assistance to return home will from now onwards be kept at the center and the embassy will continue its work to repatriate them through necessary coordination with concerned Kuwaiti authorities," said the statement.

Published on: 8 April 2015 | Republica