The International Migrants’ Day was observed by organizing various programs in the capital on Thursday. Addressing a program organized in the capital to mark the occasion, State Minister for Labor and Employment Tek Bahadur Gurung informed that the government is undertaking efforts to make foreign employment safer. “We have undertaken efforts to make the foreign employment act workers-friendly and have sent the amended draft to the Ministry of Law,” said Gurung. 

Stating that the government has increased compensation to the victims by 100 percent, he said the government has also initiated the process to establish a special mechanism and relief fund to immediately rescue migrant workers in need. “With the aim of helping migrant workers, we are setting up a labor bank very soon,” he informed. “The government has also pressed for bilateral agreements with destination countries to safeguard the basic rights of migrants.” 

A week-long program organized by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MoLE) to mark the day also concluded on Thursday. The theme for this year’s International Migration Day was ‘Importance of safer migration, our commitment’. The Nepal government has opened 110 countries for foreign employment but has signed MoUs with only five countries -- Japan, South Korea, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain. Currently, Nepal is also planning to sign MoUs with Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. 

Around 3.5 million Nepali workers are employed overseas, mainly in the Gulf countries. Stakeholders say that Nepali migrant workers continue to be victimized because of unscrupulous recruiting agencies. The United Nations (UN) passed a convention related to migrants workers in 1990. The General Assembly of the UN on 4 December 2004 decided to celebrate December 18 as the International Migrants Day. Nepal has been celebrating the day since 2006 but has yet not singed the UN convention so far.

Published on: 19 December 2014 | Republica