Kathmandu, Aug. 15
The
Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) recommended the government to
immediately take stock of the Nepali nationals receiving treatment for COVID-19
in hospitals in different countries and make diplomatic moves for their proper
medication and treatment.
“Being the
sole custodian of its citizens, the government should take entire
responsibility to protect the Nepali migrant workers, their rights and dignity
in the destination countries,” it said in Whitepaper on Nepali Migrants in
Foreign Employment 2021, published on Sunday.
Taking note
of the national and international context, COVID-19 pandemic, global economic
recovery and Nepal’s shifting demographic composition due to absence of large
number of adult population at home, the NRNA suggested the government, private
sector and other stakeholders to make common efforts to rescue and support the
undocumented migrants, women, physically challenged migrants and other
vulnerable groups.
“Due to
COVID-19, Nepali migrant workers have faced many professional challenges
including reduced or non-payment of wages, denial of other entitlements and
workplace discrimination. The government officials and diplomatic missions
should provide migrant workers with access to legal remedies to fight against
unfair treatment,” read the paper. The paper was unveiled by NRNA President
Kumar Pant and other officials.
Nepali
migrant workers have suffered for lack of access to health care, increased risk
at workplace, loss of employment and reduction in salary with the advent of the
coronavirus pandemic.
Urging the
government to expedite the process for Nepali’s repatriation, the NRNA said
that it was ready to collaborate in the mission since many migrants had
expressed their desire to return home due to the raging pandemic.
According
to it, prompt, safe and dignified return of migrant workers in need or rescue
should be included in the Bilateral Labour Agreements and Memorandum of
Understandings between Nepal and the host countries. Workers’ social security,
health insurance, life insurance and protection should be mentioned in such
agreements and MoUs.
It has
called for the revision of restrictive policy in regard to women migrant
workers. “The age-specific ban imposed on women migrant workers in certain
countries and professions is against the basic principles of human rights,” it
said.
The
whitepaper has also suggested facilitation for the returnee migrants. It said
that the returnee migrant should be encouraged to establish micro and small
enterprises, startups and social entrepreneurships, and called for broader
partnership among the government, NRNA and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).
The
whitepaper noted that almost all Nepali migrant workers are unskilled and
low-skilled which presents a bleak picture of the country’s foreign labour
migration.
Although
there is a provision in the Foreign Employment Act that any worker going for
foreign employment must acquire skill enhancement training from the institute
recognized by the Government of Nepal there has been a huge gap between the
policy and ground reality.
NRNA
President Pant said that the whitepaper was brought to make the government and
other stakeholders aware of the plight of Nepali migrant workers and challenges
they faced, and identify the areas of possible interventions.
Vice-president
of NRNA Badri KC said that it was not fair that the migrant workers that
contribute remittance that equals to about 23 per cent to the Gross Domestic
Product of the country are not receiving proper help and treatment from the
government. “This indifference has resulted in misery of Nepali workers in the foreign
land,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment