At a meeting with Nepali ambassador to Kuwai Madhuwan Poudel on Monday, Kuwaiti Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khali promised stringent action against unscrupulous agents that are involved in cheating Nepali domestic helps in Kuwait. [break]
“Local agents are encouraging Nepali maids to run away from their workplaces promising them of better offer,” Poudel said, writing a letter to Foreign Secretary Madan Bhattarai. He also informed the foreign ministry that the Kuwaiti interior minister was positive to take action against the agents that are provoking Nepali women to illegally hop jobs.
According to official data, around 25,000 Nepali women are working in Kuwait. But sources say the number is far below the exact number of Nepali women working there.
Despite government policy to restrict Nepali women to leave for Kuwait to work as domestic helps, the number is growing due to lack of effective implementation of the policy that is aimed at minimizing the problems being faced by Nepalis in Kuwait.
Keeping in view the increasing number of Nepali women who have been facing difficulties while shifting their jobs illegally, Poudel proposed the Kuwaiti minister to set up a shelter for those workers before shifting them to the government´s deportation center.
The Nepali embassy in Kuwait has also reminded the foreign ministry that situation has worsened due to increasing number of Nepali women landing in Kuwait despite the government´s strict measures.
Responding to growing difficulties in dealing with different problems being faced by Nepali workers in Kuwait, the government is preparing to appoint a labor attaché to Kuwait.
According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), a total of 16,202 Nepali workers left for Kuwait in fiscal year 2008/9. More than 5,500 workers have left for Kuwait in the first seven months of current fiscal year.
prabhakar@myrepublica.com
Related story
Nepalis living illegally in Kuwait can return home by June 17 w...
