The natural and constitutional rights of Nepali women to work have been violated due to restrictions or various conditions imposed by the government in Gulf countries. The foreign employment of millions of Nepali women has become more insecure due to irregular migration.

However, now, after the pressure of the Women's Commission, the Human Rights Commission and other stakeholders, the government seems to be ready to open the employment of domestic workers in the Gulf countries.

It has been revealed that the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security is preparing a protocol to send domestic workers to the UAE as a 'trial' and then open it up to other Gulf countries as well. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is also of the opinion that the decision not to send women workers to Gulf countries should be reviewed.

Not only instructing and suggesting to the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Affairs that as in 2073, the International Labor Committee of the Parliament banned working as domestic workers in the Gulf countries and Malaysia due to insecurity, similarly, both the relevant committee of the Parliament and the government should announce that such employment is safe when sent to any of the Gulf countries. So that in the future, not only the political and administrative leadership of a ministry but the entire state will be accountable for the safety and labor and human rights of Nepali workers.

A few days ago, three parliamentary sub-committees have been formed in the House of Representatives to study the possibility of sending domestic workers to the UAE. However, to make domestic labor orderly, dignified and safe in the past, parliamentary teams have given reports with opinions and suggestions on the basis of on-site study visits to the Gulf region. From time to time, various suggestions and opinions have come to the government even from former ambassadors.

Before sending domestic workers, it is necessary for us to study and prepare about the recruitment organization/body of the destination country, the recruitment fee, the document of the agreement between the recruiting organization between the two countries and the agreement between the foreign agency and the employer for recruiting Nepali domestic workers and what should be the provisions attached to it. It is necessary for the

study team to study how to guarantee benefits such as social security and post-service gratuity and their transfer to Nepal. Depending on the need, the country of destination may also have a separate agreement on social security and its relocation.

Nature of work, clear identification and address of employer and worker, process of wage and salary payment, hours to be worked per day, leave, food and accommodation to be provided by the employer, time to rest, process of employment continuity, termination/removal provisions are already mentioned in the agreement between the two countries.

In addition, workers can keep their identity cards such as insurance, passports, the duties and rights of both parties should be mentioned in the standard contract, and it can be easily adopted from the good practice of the contracts made by the Ministry. But apart from this, the trial period will last for 3-4 months and if you are not satisfied with it, the right to leave within that period should also be guaranteed in the agreement and contract.

There will be arrangements for orientation and skill training for domestic workers in Nepal about the laws, customs, language and dos and don'ts of the destination country. But even after going to work in the labor agreement, it is necessary to ensure that the employer provides training from time to time in the labor agreement.

In the same way, if the provisions of the contract are violated, or if they are subject to exploitation and violence, or if other freedoms are violated, it is also necessary to ensure that domestic workers get justice quickly. If there is any dispute between the worker and the employer or if there is any complaint against each other, it should be resolved amicably between the two parties or if it cannot be resolved, it should be ensured in an agreement on how to resolve the dispute.

A mandatory arrangement for the destination country and Nepal's private recruiting organizations to report every month about domestic workers to the relevant agencies of the Nepal government and to the family can be made in the labor contract. Provision of 24-hour service should also be ensured for them. In the same way, it is necessary to ensure a return visa (exit permit) when the contract is about to expire or when the family has to return due to an emergency.

If the government makes a 'protocol with a transparent process' and forwards the recruitment process through private recruitment agencies, their legal liability will be clear in case of any labor exploitation and problems. The Philippines has implemented a whitelist and blacklist system for domestic worker recruitment agencies through its Department of Migrant Workers to ensure clean, ethical and legal recruitment practices and to protect against exploitation and other risks in the recruitment of domestic workers. 

It has authorized certain limited agencies to recruit domestic workers to comply with the laws of the respective countries, to perform clean and ethical recruitment, to maintain clear records and to provide proper documentation, training and support to the workers.

Similarly, there is a provision to make public that their names are known to potential employers and workers, such as suspending or revoking the license of those who are involved in illegal recruitment, involved in human smuggling or human trafficking or charging excessive fees and violating the law. But everyone in Nepal is aware - the image and record of manpower agencies is not positive. 

In the past, there are examples of blacklisting to whitelisting based on the influence of political leadership and money manipulation. It is also important to clarify whether there are such whitelisted recruitment agencies in the country and what are their criteria. Otherwise, the agency selection process for sending domestic workers is not only flawed, it cannot be said that there is not a game of huge amount of money for the exploitative agency. 

The government should guarantee the effective monitoring and regulation of the recruitment process. In addition, the joint team should periodically monitor and evaluate the implementation of the agreement. Domestic work such as babysitting, elderly caregivers, drivers, gardeners, private nurses, laundry, private security guards, and about 15-20 types of domestic labor are being recruited in the gulf countries, and the necessary training should also be arranged for the type of work that Nepal will send them to.

The destination countries also need to be adequately informed about the punishments and compensation arrangements from serious to general, depending on the nature and strength, if the immigrants violate the provisions of some laws and contracts of that country. But whether we have prepared the necessary curriculum and information material for that. If not, don't delay to prepare. 

The political leadership and stakeholders do not pay much attention to the fact that it is the state's job to provide adequate guidance on domestic labor training and the laws, customs, language, lifestyle and do's and don'ts of destination ten.

The report of the task force formed recently by the government has made it clear that the quality of training provided by our orientation training providers is not good. For example, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of Saudi Arabia has arranged for workers to register complaints through an online and integrated platform. This  In the

service, Nepali domestic workers should also be informed through orientation training about how to handle their problems when they have problems. It is the responsibility of all members of the parliamentary committee, political parties and sarowarwalas to get information and make them aware of whether the state has prepared for it. 

The fact that the country is funded by remittances but does not even arrange a reasonable budget for the Ministry of Labor, which works for the welfare of millions of Nepali migrant workers and their families, shows how sensitive Nepal's political leadership and parties are to this question.

Our diplomatic missions are lacking in staffing, financial resources and technical capacity. For this reason, the fact that our commission has not been able to work effectively for the rights of the workers is as clear as the sun.

Labor assistants and counselors and labor welfare officers should be arranged according to the number of domestic workers. It is necessary to strengthen the capacity of Foreign Employment Board in Nepal accordingly.