KATHMANDU, Dec 12: Thousands of Nepalis, carrying dreams of a bright future abroad, are falling into scams every day. Brokers lure unsuspecting young men and women from remote areas with promises of foreign lifestyles, good services, attractive salaries, and life in developed cities in Europe and America, extracting millions from them.
Nepalis drawn by such temptations are shown the dream of foreign employment, but in reality, they are often left stranded. For many, foreign employment is a last hope to fulfil their aspirations, and brokers have turned this hope into a widespread business.
Manpower companies often stay in the background while presenting agents to workers, creating chaos with false promises of overseas jobs. The combination of manpower companies, agents, and brokers’ enticements leads workers to spend their hard-earned money in pursuit of work abroad.
While the path to foreign employment may seem simple on paper in Nepal, in practice it is complex, expensive, and riddled with brokers and scams. Workers unaware of legal procedures rely entirely on brokers, only realising they have been cheated after losing millions in loans taken for migration or finding themselves stranded abroad.
Although multiple avenues exist for justice, few victims receive it. Many complain that filing a complaint is distant, expensive, and intimidating. From promises of sending workers abroad to visa processing, extra charges are applied at every stage, widening the scope of fraud.
There is no clarity on where the money paid by workers goes, and no one admits to taking it. Complainants must go to court with proof of payment, but such proof rarely exists. Victims remain victimised; no matter what they do, they continue to suffer. According to migrant worker organisations and labour experts, those victimised in foreign employment rarely receive justice, with the state remaining largely silent.
Indralal Gole, President of Foreign Employment Rescue Nepal, said that although laws and regulations exist for foreign employment, implementation is lacking. Complaints are registered, but decisions and compensation are minimal. Even when justice is delivered, it rarely matches the claims of complainants.
He explained: “In complaints of foreign employment fraud, a victim may be owed Rs 1 million from the manpower company, agent, and broker, but they typically receive only Rs 600,000 to Rs 700,000. What justice is this? The system itself is flawed.”
The number of workers falling victim to foreign employment fraud is increasing each year, particularly among those going abroad with individual labour approval. Workers dreaming of Europe and other developed countries often fall into brokers’ traps.
“Agents and brokers also send workers abroad via manpower companies. When workers are stranded, the manpower institution appears legally uninvolved. Clever schemes by agents, brokers, and companies result in fraud, yet policies still record these workers as going with individual labour approval,” Gole told Republica.
He added that rescuing women in trouble in countries like Kuwait, Oman, and Iran is challenging. “We rescue two workers daily, while the government sends hundreds for exploitation daily,” he said.
As the number of workers going abroad rises, the cases of fraud increase proportionally. According to the Department of Foreign Employment, in the last fiscal year 2024/25, 5,632 complaints were received, involving fraud worth Rs 328,737,465. Meanwhile, the police registered 5,337 complaints and recovered Rs 1,204,500.
Lawyer Som Luintel warned that if the state remains silent, the cycle of fraud will grow, and every Nepali going abroad risks returning not with dreams but with suffering. He noted that human trafficking patterns are changing even within the foreign employment sector.
“Eagerness to go abroad, poverty, and personal burdens make victims easy targets for those selling dreams. Ultimately, the cost intended for employers falls on the workers’ shoulders,” he said.
Nepal is increasingly being used not only as a source country but also as a transit and destination for trafficking. Illegal routes to America and Europe, marriage scams, and trafficking are emerging, which is concerning. Although laws like the Foreign Employment Act and the Human Trafficking Control Act exist, weaknesses from complaint registration to implementation exacerbate victims’ problems, Luintel explained.
While fraud incidents rise daily, victims remain far from justice. Many do not even know where to file complaints. Of the cases won in court, only 11% received compensation. Incomplete legal amendments, Kathmandu-centred complaint processes, delayed and costly justice, and lack of victim-friendly structures have worsened the problem. Multiple stakeholders must enforce strict measures to address the root cause, he suggested.
“Strict regulation, full transparency, and accessible information are necessary,” he said. “Not just paperwork, but practical monitoring systems, identification of brokers and agents, strict punishment for related crimes (fraud, kidnapping), clear fee structures, and public disclosure of workers’ payments are essential.”
He also emphasised the need for labour desks at local levels, simple and active mobile apps and online verification systems, and faster, victim-friendly complaint and legal processes.
Ensuring the safety of foreign employment dreams through full control over brokers, transparent worker fees, swift complaint resolution, investigation and compensation, spreading information to every village, and providing immediate legal aid abroad would protect workers, reassure families, and bring pride to the nation.
“If even this cannot be done for victims, they will always remain victims. Their dreams are sold, they themselves are sold, and the nation’s trust is broken,” he said.