On Monday, the International New York Times, Republica's sister publication, published a heart-wrenching story. It was about the fighters affiliated with ISIS, the terrorist organization primarily based in Iraq and Syria, forcing oral contraceptives on young women they abducted so that they didn't get pregnant when they were raped. On the same day, the AFP reported of how Nepali and Bangladeshi women were being smuggled into Syria and sold to families who treated them like slaves. Given the chaos in Syria, it isn't hard to imagine some of around 500 Nepali women taken there ending up as sex slaves of ISIS. Most of the Nepali women now in Syria were lured by manpower agents with the prospect of well-paying jobs in countries like the UAE and Kuwait. Instead they were taken to the war-torn country that is banned for Nepali workers. The human traffickers are reportedly targeting Nepali and Bangladeshi women since the two governments—unlike their counterparts in more influential labor-exporting countries like India and the Philippines—have little bargaining power in order to secure the safe release of their citizens in difficulty oversees. This suggests a change of tack is in order.First of all, with the national economy in the doldrums, it is not surprising that more and more young Nepalis are looking to go abroad for gainful employment, even by risking their personal wellbeing. So just declaring some countries out of bounds for Nepali workers is not enough. That's the easiest way for the government to wash its hands off its responsibility to look after the wellbeing of its citizens. Again, there is nothing wrong with a ban to prevent Nepali workers from going to work in dangerous places, provided such a ban is backed by measures to properly educate prospective migrant workers. This will help them make more informed judgment about the manpower agents, the indispensible middlemen, and their tall promises. Side by side, there must be a rigorous monitoring of the mushrooming manpower agencies so that those involved in human trafficking can be isolated and punished. Since most of those being trafficked to places like Iraq and Syria go there via India, the cooperation of Indian government is also being sought in intercepting the traffickers. But this is proving inadequate. If need be, Nepali officials should ask India for permission to depute its officials to monitor the main air routes to Gulf countries from India.
As Nepal on its own can do little to stanch the flow of illegal migrants out of Nepal, it is important to work with the likes of India and Bangladesh so that a coherent, collective anti-trafficking strategy can be worked. Due to the widely-reported (and still unfolding) refugee crisis in Europe, there is now great awareness of the sorry plight of economic migrants, right around the world. Nepal should look to capitalize on this awareness. For countries like Nepal and Bangladesh with little diplomatic clout, leveraging international organization like the International Organization for Migration and the UN's International Labour Organization could be another vital tool to ensure the security and wellbeing of its citizens in distress abroad.
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