Every other day, we read news reports of one or the other Nepali migrant woman worker suffering on foreign soil, but rarely do we read anything about state agencies or responsible authorities trying to help or rescue her. Only when the case receives significant media attention do the authorities—in an attempt to save face and escape public criticism—go through the motions of making an enquiry into the incident. By then it is often too late as the victim has already suffered an irrevocable loss. We have read about the exploitation and humiliation suffered by Nepali migrant women employed as domestic help in various Gulf countries. Many of them have even lost their lives due to ill treatment by their employers.

In recent years, the number of Nepali women working in foreign countries has increased. After the government lifted the ban on Nepali women working in the Gulf as domestic help, educated, illiterate and rural women alike have been rushing to work abroad attracted by the relatively higher wages. Most of these women, however, are sent there through innovative and illegal channels in order to get around government regulations. Many are first taken to various Indian cities and from there they are taken by brokers to the Gulf. The traffickers have a widespread racket and use a number of novel methods to scam women. In the past, traffickers used to dupe illiterate girls from remote villages. They hired agents who went to the villages as urban dandies and lured these innocent girls with promises of good food, fancy clothes and a luxurious life in the city. 

In order to win their trust, the brokers made frequent visits and continued selling colourful dreams of urban life until the girls were ready to yield to their persuasion. If the girls did not show courage themselves, they approached their families and convinced them. In many cases, traffickers used relatives or close associates as agents so that they could easily coax them. The agents then arranged fake marriages with these girls who, elated with the sudden change in their fortunes, never realised that they had been had. They did whatever their so-called husbands told them to do and followed them everywhere without question. Only after finding themselves in brothels with a hellish life awaiting them would they realise that they had been tricked.

This trend of trafficking continued for many decades with many Nepali girls being sold as prostitutes in various Indian cities. However, the fake marriages and such other types of deception have stopped working due to increasing awareness and widespread social campaigns. Therefore, the traffickers now resort to ingenious methods with fake marriages and trafficking taking a new guise called foreign employment to various new destinations. Indian cities, which had been the most lucrative market for these traffickers for decades, have now been replaced by new markets. 

There have been frequent reports of these women and girls being brutally tortured and exploited. They are promised good jobs initially but ultimately become  domestic helps and caregivers. They are made to work beyond their capacity and are treated in an inhumane way. Many of them are physically exploited and sexually abused. Those who are bold enough to protest make their escape from these human purgatories to return home. However, many simply cannot afford to do so owing to the loan burden on their shoulders. They silently bear all the embarrassment and suffer their fate until they have saved enough to return home. Even now, thousands of Nepali migrant women workers are undergoing this very misery.

Despite the new form of trafficking growing rampantly, the government bodies made no effort in subduing it. Instead, the government has legalised trafficking by lifting the ban on female migrant workers from holding jobs in Gulf countries. This, by itself, is an irresponsible act. Nepali diplomatic missions abroad have been ineffective regarding this matter. They have no records of Nepali women working in the host country due to lack of a registering mechanism. Many of these women lack legal documents. Some even bear fake passports. As a result, they have to live in fear all the time. Moreover, they have no legal ground to fight against the injustice done to them due to their illegal status. As such, they often have no alternative but to suffer silently. It is, therefore, of upmost urgency that the government take action against the new form of unchecked trafficking. Instead of shrugging its shoulders, the government should introduce some mechanism to check the flow before it costs the lives of many more innocent Nepali mothers and sisters. 

Gautam is associated with Orchid International College, Kathmandu