Rising exodus of Nepali mothers seeking work abroad

KATHMANDU: At Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), there is a frequent sight of people leaving the country, not out of desire, but out of necessity.

The emotional burden of leaving their homeland is evident on their faces as they wait in line to board flights.

Among them, not only young people but also middle-aged individuals and mothers are common.

For some, leaving their children behind in pursuit of a better future is a difficult decision. Rupa Giri from Jhapa, for instance, is leaving her seven-year-old son behind as she heads to Malaysia. With tears in her eyes, she shared, “I had to leave the house to support the family.” Despite having dropped out of school in grade 11, Giri married and had a child within a few years. Her husband, a struggling artist, could not provide enough to sustain the family. While she had thought about starting a business in Nepal by taking a loan, she ultimately had to leave for foreign employment due to the lack of resources. “Which mother would be happy leaving her child behind?” she asked, her heart heavy. “I am going with a heavy heart. If I get a good job, that will be fine. Otherwise, I don’t know what I will do.”

Giri was not alone in this decision. Eight other women were also preparing to go abroad for work, and they, too, were mothers. Among them was Saraswati Tamang, a 34-year-old woman from Jhapa, who looked troubled. When asked how she would manage working abroad, she simply replied, “I will do whatever it takes.”

Tamang, who had only completed grade five, was married at a young age and had a 10-year-old daughter. She explained that leaving her daughter behind was not out of ambition but out of necessity. “This is my only option,” she said, “My daughter needs me, but poverty forced me to go abroad.” Tamang’s husband is a driver, and they live in a squatter settlement without land. Although she had planned to send her husband abroad for work, his health condition prevented him from passing the medical test. As a result, she decided to go abroad herself. “The earnings in Nepal aren’t enough. Everything is expensive, so I see no other option but to go abroad,” she said.

Dhanu Ghale from Syangja, a mother of two, shared her own struggles. Her husband, an alcoholic, would beat her regularly, and she had to sell vegetables on the street to support her family. Raising her children and providing them with an education became increasingly difficult. After years of waiting for her husband to send money from Malaysia without success, she decided to send him away. However, after five years, he never sent any money or contacted her. With no one left to support her children, she decided to leave for Dubai. “My husband went abroad and never sent a single penny. He didn’t even contact me,” she said. “Since there is no one to care for my children, I am leaving for their future.”

According to the Department of Foreign Employment’s data from 2022, 52.3% of women going abroad for employment were between the ages of 24 and 34, 32.3% were aged 18 to 24, and 14.6% were between 35 and 44 years old.

The number of women leaving for foreign employment continues to rise. In the fiscal year 2078/079 (2021/2022), around 49,000 women went abroad for work.

This number increased to 72,000 in the 2079/080 fiscal year (2022/2023), and in the 2080/081 fiscal year (2023/2024), it reached 80,000.

Tikaram Dhakal, a spokesperson for the Foreign Employment Board, explained that although fewer women go abroad for work compared to men, the trend of women seeking employment abroad is steadily increasing.

He noted that many women are heading to Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE, and that it is difficult to track those who go without proper labor permits.

Lily Thapa, a member of the National Human Rights Commission, highlighted the negative impact on families when mothers are forced to work abroad.

She referred to a study conducted by the commission, which found that the absence of mothers leads to the disintegration of family structures.