A problem of inadequate staff is pegging back the Department of Foreign Employment from monitoring illegally operated manpower business, leading to perpetual rise in the number of fraud cases over the year.
The government’s inability to hire adequate staff at the department has left loopholes for human traffickers in the guise of personal agents, travel companies and educational consultancy to cheat migrant workers with the promise of lucrative jobs.

The department’s latest data show around 1,250 fraud cases were lodged in the first eight months of the year. Out of the total fraud cases, a total of 778 people were duped by individual brokers.

Beside that hundred of workers are suffering from their employers, at times being denied of basic human rights in the destination countries.  DoFE official blamed inadequate manpower as the major reason for the rise in the fraud cases.  “We have just 59 people working at the board. The foreign employment industry has swelled over the year and branched throughout the country, making it very difficult for us to monitor the fraudsters,” said Director General of DoFE Purna Chandra Bhattarai.

Officials observe the strong nexus among brokers, travel agents, hotel operators and airport officials has been the major cause in the rise of fraud cases. Each day, the DoFE receives number of verbal complaints against education consultancies, travel agents, and hotel operators.

However, due to the lack time and manpower the complaints go unheeded.   “A close link between personal agents with consultancy, travel agents, and hotel operators makes it hard to find the proof. With official work consuming all of our time now, the current staffers cannot go for inspection,” said Bhesh Raj Regmi, an official at DoFE.

According to a concerned official, brokers alone cannot sent migrant workers abroad and for this apparent reason they rely on the others. “One has to look out for employers, manage documents, guarantee safe passage while sending aspiring job seekers abroad. Therefore, it’s impossible for an agent alone to do the work,” said the official.

Although not documented, hundreds of people, mostly women are found being victimised by their employers abroad on daily basis. Executive Director of Foreign Employment Promotion Board said a large number of victimised women are taking shelter at Safe Houses established by Nepali missions abroad. Men who fall in the hands of dishonest employers are found to be leaving the job.

The Post recently published a report that migrant workers are forced to pay “setting fee” to airport officials for facilitating their travel. Around five hundred documented cases of returnee women migrant workers show they paid somewhere around Rs 10,000 to 60,000 to immigration officials at the Tribhuvan International Airport while leaving the country. The use of fake documents and illegal channels is rampant; the Department of Immigration (DoI) alone arrested 150 people with fake passports in the past two years.

The temptation of attractive salary and rich countries has been used by illegally-run racket to dupe the potential workers. Due to low cost and expectation of the migrant workers, mainly women are relying on illegal route and forged documents while leaving the country for jobs abroad. Lately Royal Gurkha Consultancy, owned by one Bikash Shrestha, duped 17 individuals with false assurance to send them to rich countries. Similarly, the department raided Peace Education Consultancy of Bagbazaar and seized 31 passports for work in Australia.

Lokraj Ruwali of Chitwan went to Georgia along with his friends through an agent around two years ago. But once the group reached there, they waited around one month in vain and ultimately returned home empty-handed.

Published on: 29 March 2012 | The Kathmandu Post