The Pravasi Nepal Coordination Committee (PNCC) with support from the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management (MoLTM) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) on Monday kick started a workshop on the Kafala system.

About 100 Nepali professionals will be briefed on the Kafala system and its implementation on Nepali migrants by resource persons from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the five-day workshop being held at the SAP Falcha, Babarmahal.

Kafala is a system used to monitor domestic migrant workers who come and work in the Middle East countries. Though the system was created to provide the central government with a means to regulate labour flow in Gulf countries, critics say it leads to exploitation of workers. According to Kashi Raj Dahal, the director of the Department of Foreign Employment, Kafala system is completely governed by Gulf countries and is implemented in most of the Gulf countries. “There is no process like migrating under the Kafala system, it is a system and workers have to work under it,” he said.

“But many Nepali workers are facing problems working under this system, so we are planning to work with the Foreign Employment Promotion Board on this issue, so that Nepal citizens are protected,” he added.

Representatives from the government, Swiss Ambassador Thomas Gass, lawyers and members of other organisations addressed the opening session of the workshop.

The workshop aspires to increase common understanding and helps discover the future possibility and efforts to abolish the Kafala system.

Published on: 6 September 2011 | The Kathmandu Post