The five-pronged question of reforming the immigration system
Labour, Employment and Social Security Secretary Krishnahari Pushkar has said that the government has prioritized policies, laws and structural reforms to make the foreign employment process transparent, safe and human rights friendly.
Addressing the 'multilateral consultation on cooperation in promotion of ethical labor recruitment and strengthening of legal channels' organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Kathmandu, he said that the government is determined to create a dignified and orderly system for workers who have gone abroad for employment. "Foreign employment is no longer a compulsion, it should become a respectable option," he said, "Ethical recruitment is not a burden, it is a strategic necessity." In which, there are initiatives to promote the principle of employer bearing expenses, skill enhancement training, modernization of health examination and orientation, strengthening of e-services, digitization of labor acceptance certificate and strengthening of labor grievance management system.
Secretary Pushkar said that there are challenges such as inequality in law enforcement, weakness of bilateral consensus and lack of public awareness. He said that work is being done on the five-pronged question for the reform of the labor migration system.
"In order to strengthen the regulatory system, we are focusing on making the manpower company's licensing, monitoring and enforcement process effective," he said, "to make the protection of workers' rights effective, diplomatic missions and labor officers should be empowered."
He said that emphasis has been placed on bringing ethical recruitment into the mainstream of the private sector. "Monitoring, compliance and reciprocity should be ensured according to bilateral and multilateral agreements," he said, "The ministry is working to empower migrant workers and free them from exploitation through information and awareness." "The story of Nepali immigration is not a lost dream, but a changed future," he said.
