Data from the department showed that about 12,732 migrant workers had rejoined foreign jobs in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August), followed by Bhadra (10,210), Asoj (9,062) and Kartik (9,373). It started to register reentrants from the current fiscal year. 

 

Migrant workers are reentering the foreign job markets due to a lack of jobs in the country. “It’s a compulsion for us Nepalis,” said an officer at the department. We started recording reentrants to get the real picture of migration, he added. Earlier, the department only issued foreign job permits to migrant workers joining foreign jobs for the first time.

 

According to the data, about 1,489 women migrant workers rejoined foreign jobs between Shrawan and Kartik which is 20.95 per cent of the total Nepali women migrants. About 7,107 women joined foreign jobs during the period. Similarly, 387 women who had earlier joined foreign jobs illegally registered themselves at the department. 

 

“Nepali women have been rejoining foreign jobs despite abuse and exploitation because it is about survival,” said president of Pourakhi — a non-government organisation working for women migrant workers’ rights — Manju Gurung. “If government were able to provide jobs to them, the outflow would automatically reduce,” she said. 

 

Government had opened up foreign jobs for women last year after a decade-long ban, but it, however, introduced an age bar in August. The decision to ban women below 30 years of age from joining domestic jobs in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain was taken to protect them. Studies commissioned by government had found that women aged below 30 years were more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse or even sexual exploitation. 

 

The ban, however, has not had an affect on women migration through legal channels.