KATHMANDU, June 18: Minister for Youth, Labour and Employment Ramji Yadav has said that around 60,000 Nepali domestic workers are currently working in Kuwait without labour permits.
Responding to questions during discussions on the ministry’s budget in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Minister Yadav said the workers are in a vulnerable situation as they are outside the formal labour approval system.
Nepali workers can obtain labour permits in Oman itself
“Approximately 60,000 domestic workers in Kuwait are working without labour permits,” he said. “When they face difficulties, it becomes hard to provide assistance because access to services through the Labour Board requires legal labour approval.”
He said that while efforts have been made to address such cases on humanitarian grounds wherever possible, the issue of domestic workers has placed the government in a “policy trap.”
The minister added that labour permits for domestic workers are currently not being issued based on seven specified criteria following instructions from a parliamentary committee. However, he acknowledged that despite the restriction, people continue to travel for domestic work abroad through illicit channels.
