KATHMANDU, July 19: Participants at a function stressed the need for strengthening the access of Nepali overseas women job seekers to financial institutions to avoid the chances of exploitation from money lenders, who charge exorbitant interests. [break]
Their suggestions come amid reports of back-breaking interests being slapped on poor job seekers by local money lenders.
They were participating at an interaction organized by the Society of Economic Journalists-Nepal (SEJON) on Saturday.
“Women overseas job seekers are found taking loans from local money lenders by paying interests up to 60 percent,” SEJON former president Bijaya Ghimire presenting a report on Nepali outbound women workers, said. Ghimire suggested that the government, financial institutions and manpower agents join hand to bring down the spiraling cost of getting overseas jobs for women, by providing them easy access to loan.
Sashin Joshi, the president of Bankers Association, said providing loan to foreign job seekers has been risky due to nominal repayment rate and urged the government to create trust orthy environment for lending money to overseas job seekers.
Madhu Sudan Paudel, SEJON general secretary, presenting another report said though foreign employment has brought change in the economic and social condition of Nepali migrant women; their contribution in the economy has not been accounted properly.
Ramesh Lekhak, former labor minister, stressed the need for effectively enforcing the existing Foreign Employment Act and Regulations to mitigate problems in the foreign employment sector. Yuba Raj Katiwada, the vice-chairman of National Planning Commission, was of the view that the government should stop issuing work permit to countries regarded "unsafe" for Nepali women.
Saru Joshi, regional program manager of UNIFEM , Keshab Acharya, senior economic advisor of the Ministry of Finance, and Trilochan Pangeni, executive director of Nepal Rastra Bank, Tilak Ranabhat, president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agents, Kiran Nepal, president of SEJON, Beena Pradhan, an economist and Ganesh Gurung, a migration expert, also emphasized on the proper utilization of remittances.