PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Sept 11: The government is soon to impose a ban on the long-running practice of recruiting domestic maids for Kuwait through individual channels, and introduce a system that makes the involvement of agencies in both Nepal and Kuwait manadory in the recruitment process.
Officials said the switch is being made mainly to make sure that aspirant women workers do not fall prey to false promises and their rights in the workplace are protected.
“The existing system of recruitment of domestic maids through individual contacts is the major cause of the host of problems facing maids in Kuwait. So, we are soon to make the signing of job agreements between employment agencies in both countries mandatory,” Purna Chandra Bhattarai, director general of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), told Republica. "It will enable us to promptly identify and deal with cases of violence and different forms of exploitation faced by Nepali maids in Kuwait."
Kuwait, already home to around 50,000 workers (some 23,000 are officially recorded), is the key destination for Nepali housemaids. DoFE data shows that a total of 24,575 workers, most of them housemaids, left for Kuwait during fiscal year 2011/12.
“As the number of domestic workers leaving for Kuwait is increasing every year through insecure ways, we are enforcing a system which will be instrumental in protecting them from different forms of exploitation by their employers,” said Bhattarai.
Existing Kuwaiti laws don´t incorporate the rights of domestic workers, leaving them vulnerable to different forms of violence.
Worse still, the existing practice of recruiting housemaids through individual channels is adding to their woes as individual brokers do not take any responsibility in case of problems in the workplace. Individual brokers tend to go out of contact from DoFE and the workers once they send the workers to overseas destinations.
“Cases of exploitation of Nepali maids will automatically decrease once agency to agency agreements are introduced because under this system we can hold the agencies of both countries accountable if any exploitation or violence is meted out to Nepali maids in Kuwait,” Bhattarai said.
He also said the proposed new system will make it easy for the Nepali embassy in Kuwait to deal with cases of mistreatment of maids by employers.
According to Bhattarai, more than 75 percent of housemaids receiving permission from DoFE are headed for Kuwait.
In an effort to mitigate exploitation by employers and violence against housemaids, and discourage the sending abroad of under-age female workers on forged passports, the government imposed a ban a month ago on the despatch of female workers aged below 30 to the Gulf.
Officials said the switch is being made mainly to make sure that aspirant women workers do not fall prey to false promises and their rights in the workplace are protected.
“The existing system of recruitment of domestic maids through individual contacts is the major cause of the host of problems facing maids in Kuwait. So, we are soon to make the signing of job agreements between employment agencies in both countries mandatory,” Purna Chandra Bhattarai, director general of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), told Republica. "It will enable us to promptly identify and deal with cases of violence and different forms of exploitation faced by Nepali maids in Kuwait."
Kuwait, already home to around 50,000 workers (some 23,000 are officially recorded), is the key destination for Nepali housemaids. DoFE data shows that a total of 24,575 workers, most of them housemaids, left for Kuwait during fiscal year 2011/12.
“As the number of domestic workers leaving for Kuwait is increasing every year through insecure ways, we are enforcing a system which will be instrumental in protecting them from different forms of exploitation by their employers,” said Bhattarai.
Existing Kuwaiti laws don´t incorporate the rights of domestic workers, leaving them vulnerable to different forms of violence.
Worse still, the existing practice of recruiting housemaids through individual channels is adding to their woes as individual brokers do not take any responsibility in case of problems in the workplace. Individual brokers tend to go out of contact from DoFE and the workers once they send the workers to overseas destinations.
“Cases of exploitation of Nepali maids will automatically decrease once agency to agency agreements are introduced because under this system we can hold the agencies of both countries accountable if any exploitation or violence is meted out to Nepali maids in Kuwait,” Bhattarai said.
He also said the proposed new system will make it easy for the Nepali embassy in Kuwait to deal with cases of mistreatment of maids by employers.
According to Bhattarai, more than 75 percent of housemaids receiving permission from DoFE are headed for Kuwait.
In an effort to mitigate exploitation by employers and violence against housemaids, and discourage the sending abroad of under-age female workers on forged passports, the government imposed a ban a month ago on the despatch of female workers aged below 30 to the Gulf.
106 victimized maid returned from UAE, 7 sheltering at embassy
Meanwhile, 106 Nepali domestic servants subjected to violence and exploitation by employers were repatriated by the Nepalese Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over three years ending the second week of August.
The DoFE stated that seven maids who were also mistreated and tortured by their employers, are still sheltering at the embassy, waiting to be flown back home.“Like in other Gulf countries, housemaids in the UAE are also subjected to torture, sexual violence and exploitation over wages by their employees," said Bhattarai'
Meanwhile, 106 Nepali domestic servants subjected to violence and exploitation by employers were repatriated by the Nepalese Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over three years ending the second week of August.
The DoFE stated that seven maids who were also mistreated and tortured by their employers, are still sheltering at the embassy, waiting to be flown back home.“Like in other Gulf countries, housemaids in the UAE are also subjected to torture, sexual violence and exploitation over wages by their employees," said Bhattarai'
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