KATHMANDU: Lawmakers have stressed the need for political parties to develop a unified position on lifting the ban on sending Nepali women as domestic workers to Gulf countries.
In a meeting of the Industry, Commerce, Labour, and Consumer Welfare Committee under the House of Representatives held today at Singha Durbar, lawmakers acknowledged that sufficient intra-party discussion on the issue was still lacking.
The meeting centered around the possibility of resuming the deployment of Nepali domestic workers—particularly women—to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a country with which Nepal has already signed a bilateral labour agreement.
Addressing the committee, Binod Kumar Bhattarai, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, urged members to grant approval to advance a pilot project related to domestic worker recruitment in the UAE.
Krishna Hari Pushkar, Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security, proposed opening a legal pathway for female domestic workers, stating that existing bans have failed to prevent risks of forced labour and trafficking.
Committee members Hemraj Rai, Ramesh Rijal, and Rama Koirala Poudel emphasized the importance of forming official party positions before endorsing the pilot initiative. They also suggested the need for consultations with experts before the committee issues any directive.
MP Krishna Kumar Shrestha raised concerns about the recruitment costs and financial burden on workers during hiring and deployment processes.
Lawmakers also discussed the terms outlined in the pilot project between Nepal’s Labour Ministry and the UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
As per the agreement, Nepali domestic workers would be responsible for several expenses, including passport fees, qualification certification, medical tests, recruitment charges, entry visa costs, processing fees, health insurance, labour security insurance, and airfare.
Committee members Rukmini Rana Baraili, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, Rekha Yadav, Suryaman Tamang, Surendra Raj Acharya, and Amrita Devi Aghrihari expressed concern over the plight of Nepali women stranded or facing abuse in Gulf countries. They urged the committee chairperson to coordinate rescue and relief efforts.
The lawmakers also stressed the need for the government to study and consider family laws and protection mechanisms in destination countries before permitting the deployment of domestic workers.
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