Foreign employment is not only a means of livelihood for Nepalis, but it has been the economic backbone of the country for more than two decades. Millions of Nepalis are forced to go abroad for years due to lack of sufficient employment within the country, low wages even in limited employment.

Gulf countries in particular have become the main labor destinations of Nepalese. Demand for domestic workers is high in these countries. But the government has been banning Nepali women from going to those countries for a decade.

According to the instructions given by the International Relations and Labor Committee of the Parliament on 20 Chait 2073, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security has banned the work permit for domestic workers. After the ban, thousands of Nepalese women are going to the Gulf countries illegally and unsafely, falling into the trap of human traffickers through an even more illegal route.

This is not only violating the fundamental right to go to work wherever they want, but by abusing the restrictions imposed by the government, some middlemen and corrupt immigration officials are also exploiting women financially.  

The study of the parliamentary committee has shown that the number of women arriving as domestic workers in the Gulf countries through visit visas and other means is one and a half million. According to separate reports sent by the embassies of the respective countries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, human traffickers have transported the most women to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait through visit visas.

In the report, 60,000 women in the UAE, 50,000 in Kuwait, 10,000 in Oman, and 20,000 in Iraq are working as domestic workers. There are 90 women waiting for rescue in Kuwait's shelter alone. The number of female domestic workers sent to Saudi Arabia is not certain.

This fact confirms that, regardless of the reason for the ban, women are in a more vulnerable situation. The ban has not stopped the flow of women to the Gulf, rather the 'net' of human traffickers has expanded. It is now mandatory to break the net.

According to the Nepali Embassy in Oman, 15 to 37 women who arrived in Oman via Dubai through visit visas come seeking shelter for rescue every month. The embassy has rescued 200 women and sent them to Nepal in the last one year alone. 90 women are still waiting for rescue in Kuwait.

It has become a headache for the Nepali embassies as well, as women workers reach there through illegal routes but after having problems, they start coming for shelter. It is the embassy's responsibility to rescue its citizens who are stranded and in trouble. If the

had come through legal channels, the embassy could have taken steps to hold the relevant employers and agents or manpower responsible and provide compensation. But the embassy has not been able to do all this work now, because if there is any problem, the embassy is busy gathering evidence to arrest the smuggler or agent, prosecute or compel them to pay compensation.

In case of death or dismemberment, there is a situation where you will not get any benefits including treatment and compensation. All its partners have to become related persons. Because of this, the vicious cycle is going on where women are often cheated and get into trouble.

Since the policy of banning female domestic workers has been seen as wrong, now the government should open the way to send them legally with clear standards to ensure safety. We should move towards entering into a labor contract with the country that sends the domestic workers with clarity on the benefits such as salary, insurance, compensation etc.

The Finance and Commerce and Labor and Consumer Committees of the Parliament gave 7 points regarding the management of domestic workers on 13 October 2077 after returning from studying Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE. On August 26 and 27, 2080, the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal chaired a high-level meeting with the ambassadors, it was also decided to manage domestic workers.

Foreign Minister Arju Rana Deuba, who arrived in Oman on March 6th, in a virtual meeting with the ambassadors of the Gulf, the consul general, suggested that the ambassadors should bring them within the scope of labor approval, saying that there is difficulty in rescuing domestic workers through visit visas. In the quarterly report recently sent by the Embassy in Oman to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is mentioned that it is necessary to address this issue as it is becoming complicated.

Similarly, the Human Rights Commission is warning the government that there should be no discrimination in this matter. Now, destination countries have also introduced local laws covering domestic labour. Therefore, domestic workers do not have to work as informal workers as in the past. Local laws also provide legal protection in cases where it is lawful.

There is a high demand for Nepali domestic workers in all Gulf countries. Nepali workers are liked by many employers because of their honest behavior. In such a situation, Nepal can enter into an agreement with the provisions of high service, convenience and security by bargaining with those countries.