Activists seek reforms for safe migration
Activists across the country working for safe migration have suggested a 28-point reform agenda to the government. We have decided to pressure the government to implement the reform plan, said Dr Ganesh Gurung, joint coordinator of the National Conference on Migration being held in Kathmandu, on May 10-11.
“The points cover possible intervention in migration in the entire cycle from pre-departure to reintegration of returnees,” he said, explaining the outcome of the conference. According to him, non-governmental organisations working for safe migration have decided to monitor the reform programmes and present it in the next conference that will be held in 2016.
Civil society will actively watch the enforcement of the reforms, Gurung added.
The conference has identified migration as an integral part of the Nepali economy and society, and demanded an option to foreign employment. Therefore, the conference has put creation of jobs in the country in the first priority, followed by training and orientation to foreign job aspirants. “These are the prerequisites for safe migration as a whole,” said former labour attaché to Saudi Arabia Chandeshwor Acharya.
Similarly, the civil society has also asked the government to strengthen monitoring of outsourcing agencies, orientation centres and medical centres. Weak monitoring of the agencies has been fuelling fraud in the outsourcing sector. More than 2,000 unregistered agents have been actively involved in migration but only 300 are registered.
The nexus of human traffickers has been working under the shadow of foreign employment. Thus, everyday 30-40 Nepali women reach Gulf countries — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. Most of them go via India due to the porous border between Nepal and India.
Less than 40 per cent of about 1,200 migrant workers who join foreign jobs everyday get complete foreign job orientation. Other migrant workers reach the job markets without complete information on the job, language, culture and daily life of the destination countries. Everyday, 100-150 Nepali migrant workers face problems like being cheated regarding salary, insurance and other benefits in foreign lands. Moreover, 50-60 migrant workers run away from their workplace due to abuse and exploitation and their status becomes illegal.
The conference has identified all problems and suggested practical measures to tackle them, said Gurung, adding that the conference has also provided a suggestion to explore characteristics of trafficking in foreign employment. The conference has also asked the government to start employment and self-reliant programmes targeting victims of foreign employment.
Major suggestions
• Create job opportunities in the country
• Skills and language training mandatory for migrant workers
• Honour returning migrants at the airport
• Integration programmes for returnees
• Study of sudden death of migrants while sleeping
• Introduce strong monitoring mechanism at the Department of Foreign Employment to check malpractices
• Stop human trafficking/smuggling in the name of foreign employment
Published on: 12 May 2013 | The Himalayan Times
GET IN TOUCH