Shyam Kumar Gharti of Tamankhola Rural Municipality-2, Baglung, wandered around in search of work for a long time. After not having any skills, he went to Bahrain illegally in 2007. He had reached Bahrain 19 years ago through a middleman and did not have a work permit. He lost contact within 6 months of arriving in Bahrain. His family members did not know what kind of work he did there.

Even though his son disappeared, his deaf father Lal Bahadur Gharti could not search for his son. Within a year of Shyam's departure, his mother left him. Lal Bahadur continued to work as a wage laborer in the village, and nothing was known about his son. Last year, in Falgun, the Nepali Embassy in Bahrain received news that Shyam was in a coma. When the family was unable to take any initiative, the rural municipality chairman Joklal Budha, the deputy chief of the neighboring Jaimini Municipality, and Harihar Sharma, among others, informed the Foreign Employment Board.

Gangakumari Sharma, a consultant at the Immigration Resource Center, helped send the necessary documents to the embassy through the Chief District Officer.  The embassy could not find Shyam's company because he had gone illegally. Due to this, there was no way to provide insurance, relief or other funds. Lal Bahadur, who was not aware of the process, could not search for his son. Since the embassy and diplomatic missions were not informed, it was not known what he had done for 19 years.  Shyam had been ill for the last two years.

He was unidentified for a year. After he was found in a coma, he was treated, but since he had stayed illegally, the Nepal government had to pay for the treatment expenses. After his identity was revealed, he was sent to Nepal.  The Nepal government was forced to pay for the treatment expenses incurred in the hospital in Bahrain to bring him to Nepal. He is still disabled. When Shyam, 41, returned home, he did not find his mother, and his deaf father is alone.

His mother left him a few years ago and his family is in dire straits as the financial situation of the house is also weak. The rural municipality has provided him with food and accommodation expenses while he is bedridden. Chairman Budha has installed a TV in his house at his own expense. Shyam arrived in Nepal a year after starting the registration process in 2081 Falgun and sending the documents as requested by the consulate and embassy.

Sunita Thapa, an employee at the Nepali Embassy in Bahrain, said that since he was living illegally, the Nepal government had to pay for his treatment expenses. She said that the initiative to set up a treatment fund by collecting donations from the locals was affected by the conflict in the Gulf countries, as relief and insurance funds could not be provided. Bhava Bahadur Kunwar, general secretary of the Bahrain-Baglung Contact Committee, said that since the efforts to return Shyam home were successful, they will now try to raise treatment expenses.

However, he said that this is not possible for the time being as he is not able to leave his home due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.  The Nepal government has paid nearly 1.5 million rupees for Shyam's treatment expenses in Bahrain. Chairman Budha said that the decision to pay the amount had to be made by the Council of Ministers. 'It is not easy to keep getting a decision from the Council of Ministers for everyone who has such a problem,' he said, 'When going for foreign employment, one should go according to the law and follow the procedure.'

Most of those who die abroad every year are those who went illegally, did different work than prescribed, and did not renew their labor permits on time. Shyam lives with his father in his house in Bhayerbonga village, Tamankhola-2, 120 km west of the district headquarters. 'There was a problem even in bringing him back after search and rescue, we were able to bring him back only after a lot of effort,' said Rural Municipality Chairman Budha, 'Now their daily lives are running with the help of the municipality.'

He said that the municipality cannot always support them. Even if they provide humanitarian assistance, they are in a situation of being left behind when there are procedural difficulties, Budha informed.  Sharma, a consultant at the Immigrant Resource Center in Baglung, said that it is not clear what work he did or how much he earned because he was staying illegally. “We were able to bring him safely to the village, but the family is in distress,” Sharma said. “It is necessary to create a relief fund to help people in such a situation.”

She said that people who go abroad illegally have been facing similar problems recently. She said that since those who go abroad illegally do not even have access to medical treatment there, they have to pay for their expenses from Nepal. According to the center’s data, only 7 people from Baglung who went abroad illegally have died in the current fiscal year. 10 people with work permits have died. One of them is a woman. Out of 138 workers in trouble in Baglung in the current fiscal year, 58 have been rescued safely. The District Administration Office facilitated the rescue of 22 of them.