Majority of Nepali migrant workers abroad in sorry state: NRNA Whitepaper

KATHMANDU: AUGUST 15 – The Non-Resident Nepalis Association (NRNA) on Sunday released a “Whitepaper on Nepali Migrants in Foreign Employment’ with its focus on rescue, relief, repatriation and reintegration of Nepali migrants affected from COVID-19 in the countries of destination.

The whitepaper has laid emphasis on the proper utilisation of skills of the migrants and remittance adding that the migrants send almost Rs 1 trillion annually.

Gulf countries and Malaysia have been the key labour destinations for Nepali migrant workers while European countries, Canada and the USA have also equally lure skilled and qualified Nepalis workers.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has left many Nepali migrant workers at the lurch. The pandemic has pushed many migrants to jobless; salary cut and lay off resulting in the migrant workers’ despair and desperation.

According to the whitepaper, over 170,000 Nepalis were sacked from their jobs due to pandemics. More than 100,000 Nepalis abroad were infected with the COVID-19 while 486 were reported to have lost their lives to the deadly infection by the end of this July.

Due to uncertainty of social security back home upon their return, Nepali migrants workers choose to continue toiling hard abroad as long as they can retain their job in the foreign land, the whitepaper stated.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak and spread, over 200,000 Nepalis stranded abroad were rescued to Nepal on a priority basis, the NRNA said. The umbrella organization of the Nepalis abroad had coordinated the efforts among the Nepali diplomatic missions abroad, foreign diplomatic missions and agencies to bring back stranded Nepalis.

The whitepaper is expected to help lay a foundation to make headway for providing support to Nepalis migrant workers abroad through a joint permanent mechanism, the NRNA said.

NRNA has extended its support to over 22,000 Nepali migrant workers in various countries across the globe while the Association played its role in the release of 135 Nepalis put behind the bars in various countries and return to Nepal.

On the occasion, NRNA Vice-President Rabina Thapa added that the condition of the Nepali women workers abroad was very miserable adding that they need special intervention from the government.