Experts today demanded labour diplomacy to empower, safeguard and expand the migrant labourers' market.
"The government should play the role of a watchdog," said Prof Tashlima Siddique from Dhaka University addressing an interaction programme, 'Women in Foreign Employment: Right or Wrong -- Experience from Bangladesh and Nepal' organised by Labour Journalists' Group, Nepal and NIDS here.
When male migrant workers are harassed, the government does not take any action. "But when a women migrant worker is harassed, it becomes a tool for the government to ban women migrant workers from having economic freedom," she said adding that the government should lift such bans and facilitate and inform women migrant workers to make it more secure for them.
"Nobody can dismiss women migrant workers' rights," social scientist Ganesh Gurung said adding that they should be given the option of informed choice.
"Women migrant workers should be trained and given orientation for better perks and safety before going out," the experts said while agreeing that the fates of Nepali and Bangladeshi women are not much different as both the countries' governments have similar attitudes towards women.
"Along with political freedom, economic freedom is a must for women empowerment," Gurung said adding that they not only contribute to the economy but also to bringing about change in society.
"Choice of profession is a personal matter," said Prof Siddiqi while sharing Bangladeshi experience on lifting the ban on women migrant workers. Both Bangladeshi and Nepali male migrant workers in Gulf countries have protested against sending women migrant workers asked their respective governments to ban women workers from going abroad.
There is a huge demand for women migrant workers but government officials are confused and they take decisions based on a single case, which cannot be a benchmark. "If the governments do not facilitate the women migrant workers, they will be trafficked and become more vulnerable," Prof Siddiqi and Gurung both said.
The Bangladesh government has put various restrictions on women migrant workers and so has the Nepal government, though in practice they have not banned them from going out.
"According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), there are only 40,000 women migrant workers. But the actual number is double," said Gurung.
Nepal's situation corresponds to that of Bangladesh. Every year 3,00,000 Nepalis enter the domestic labour market and 40 per cent of them are women. Nepal could not employ them all and finally they land up in the foreign labour market -- either legally or illegally.Prior to 1997, there was no any restriction on women migrant workers but Nepal put a ban on their going out in May 1997 after a woman Kami Sherpa's death in Saudi Arabia.
Showing posts with label Group of Labour Journalists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Group of Labour Journalists. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Outbound labour size falls
The number of out-bound migrant workers has dropped substantially by around 246 to 410 from 656 per day since a couple of months. At the same time, the rate of Nepalis returning is increasing, said experts here today at an interaction on 'What after Nepali workers return?', organised by the Group of Labour Journalists (GLJ).
They opined that government must be prepared with a package programme to deal with the tide of returnees.
"The government is prepared to deal with them and we have called a two-day brain storming session in this regard on February 12-13," said Minister for Labour and Transport Management Lekhraj Bhatta.
"For a short-term solution we have decided to refund 40 per cent and 25 per cent of their expenses respectively, if they return within six months and a year," he said adding that as a long-term solution the government must provide them jobs apart from finding alternative destinations.
The brainstorming session on February 12-13 will have ambassadors and foreign ministry officials as it is a matter between countries and falls under the jurisdiction of the foreign ministry. "Our diplomatic missions abroad have also failed us," Bhatta admitted.
"Nepali diplomatic missions should be mobilised to save the jobs of Nepali workers abroad," said Dr Shanker Sharma, former vice-president of National Planning Commission (NPC). "Jobs of around 3,00,000 -- at the maximum -- unskilled Nepali workers in foreign lands are at risk," he said adding that Nepal will feel the heat of the labour lay-off from the second half of 2009 till the third quarter of 2010. Remittance has been not only keeping the economy afloat it has been helping reduce poverty also, Dr Sharma opined.
"Every minute, Nepal gets more than Rs 2,00,000 as remittance," said Ganesh Gurung, a social scientist. "But the number of Nepali migrant workers leaving for various destinations abroad has dropped substantially and that will ultimately hit the economy," he said adding that apart from that it has brought change in the society as the family is at present headed by women. "Women are involved in the decision making of family matters in the absence of their husbands," Gurung added. He also said that the security of the migrant labour was a major concern. "Everyday, two dead Nepalis are sent home in bodybags," he pointed out.
Tilak Ranabhat, president of the Nepal Foreign Employment Agencies' Association (NFEAA), said on the occasion that the en masse return might lead to social problems as the returnees have no skills and no jobs at all.
Taking a cue from the global economic meltdown, the Gulf countries -- major markets for Nepali migrant workers -- have started reducing workforce strength especially unskilled hands and those working in manufacturing and service sectors.
They opined that government must be prepared with a package programme to deal with the tide of returnees.
"The government is prepared to deal with them and we have called a two-day brain storming session in this regard on February 12-13," said Minister for Labour and Transport Management Lekhraj Bhatta.
"For a short-term solution we have decided to refund 40 per cent and 25 per cent of their expenses respectively, if they return within six months and a year," he said adding that as a long-term solution the government must provide them jobs apart from finding alternative destinations.
The brainstorming session on February 12-13 will have ambassadors and foreign ministry officials as it is a matter between countries and falls under the jurisdiction of the foreign ministry. "Our diplomatic missions abroad have also failed us," Bhatta admitted.
"Nepali diplomatic missions should be mobilised to save the jobs of Nepali workers abroad," said Dr Shanker Sharma, former vice-president of National Planning Commission (NPC). "Jobs of around 3,00,000 -- at the maximum -- unskilled Nepali workers in foreign lands are at risk," he said adding that Nepal will feel the heat of the labour lay-off from the second half of 2009 till the third quarter of 2010. Remittance has been not only keeping the economy afloat it has been helping reduce poverty also, Dr Sharma opined.
"Every minute, Nepal gets more than Rs 2,00,000 as remittance," said Ganesh Gurung, a social scientist. "But the number of Nepali migrant workers leaving for various destinations abroad has dropped substantially and that will ultimately hit the economy," he said adding that apart from that it has brought change in the society as the family is at present headed by women. "Women are involved in the decision making of family matters in the absence of their husbands," Gurung added. He also said that the security of the migrant labour was a major concern. "Everyday, two dead Nepalis are sent home in bodybags," he pointed out.
Tilak Ranabhat, president of the Nepal Foreign Employment Agencies' Association (NFEAA), said on the occasion that the en masse return might lead to social problems as the returnees have no skills and no jobs at all.
Taking a cue from the global economic meltdown, the Gulf countries -- major markets for Nepali migrant workers -- have started reducing workforce strength especially unskilled hands and those working in manufacturing and service sectors.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)