These days we often come across shocking narratives of wives eloping with the hard-earned savings of husbands (or the other way round) toiling in foreign countries, abandoned newborns, frictions in families because of converts to other faiths, and so on. Clearly, these are premonitions of a disaster in the making that will rip the fabrics of our society. Already, our cohesion is wearing thin thanks to the caste-based politics conceived, nurtured and practiced by “revolutionary” leaders.
About 1,500 youths are said to leave the country every day in search of greener pastures. Most of them are aware of the malaises it brings, which are fast making inroads into our society, and which their absence will only worsen. The misery of these outbound workers is boundless. They are handed fake agreements, then coaxed to jettison the genuine ones once they cross the immigration counters at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). This subjects them to a chain of exploitations and depredations in an alien land. [break]
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They will never be out of harm’s way after that. They may be deported or even prosecuted for traveling on forged documents, without ever knowing how that happened. The real culprits are the agencies or the middlemen that put workers’ lives on the line in full knowledge of the consequences. They have close nexus with clandestine operatives in major cities of India and Bangladesh that can produce fake papers in no time, and the irony of it is that government officials have been authenticating them, either under threat or in collusion.
The saga of female migrant workers is even more distressing. A sizable number of them live a hellish life as maids. We can only imagine the fate of those who are held captive by the employers and have remained incommunicado for years. Not surprisingly, only about 180 women reportedly approached the Saudi Embassy for the pass to return home under the Saudi government’s recent amnesty plan. Given the estimate that there could be as many as 20,000 women living there illegally, there is much to fear and suspect.
For many rural youth, foreign employment has been a shortcut to earn money, and also to experience first-hand the glitzy first world which is otherwise a distant dream for them. The effect is so compelling that the flip side of the saga is blurred in contrast. They are so obsessed that it is hard to convince them that not everything is hunky-dory abroad. So they fall easy prey to exploiters who are always on the prowl.
This is, however, not to suggest that foreign employment is an evil and that all manpower agencies are rogues. It will be foolhardy to condemn this sector in absolute terms. As many as 30 million Nepalis, mostly unskilled, are scattered around the world, with maximum concentration in the gulf countries and Malaysia. Undeniably, the immediate benefits from foreign employment are huge. It not only generates a whooping remittance accounting for as much as 25 percent of the GDP, but also eases considerable pressure off the domestic job market. The returnees have also brought in new perspectives, advanced skills, and technical knowhow. The country can and should capitalize on it with unequivocal support for their optimal utilization in different fields.
Remittance will continue to be the lifeline of our otherwise ailing economy for many years to come. It will, however, not come without costs. The long-term negative impacts of the perennial absence of a large number of youth on the country’s overall socio-economic health will far outweigh the benefits. There are already signs of simmering dissatisfaction. It is imperative to take timely measures before they spiral out of control.
Under the aegis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), there was a glimmer of hope for reform recently. Genuine efforts were made to curb the malpractices thriving in this sector with impunity. A committee comprising representatives from various Ministries, popularly known as the Rapid Action Team, was formed at the initiative of the then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha to keep vigil over and recommend tough action on fraudulent practices. A few raids conducted by the team created ripples. Unfortunately, the euphoria dissipated as soon as the leadership changed, and the perpetrators are back to business as usual.
Managing the foreign employment sector is not impossible if the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) seriously commits to bring the offenders to book. As a matter of fact, DoFE is sitting on a pool of information on alleged swindlers provided by the Team, based on the statements of victims. The Department can make a good start by naming and shaming the guilty, and penalizing them appropriately.
We have had encouraging experiences of working with IOM in rescuing Nepalis stranded abroad, including in Libya and Madagascar, in the recent past. There are certain areas where IOM can be effectively engaged to our migrant workers’ benefit. MoFA and Nepali Missions abroad need to work proactively for that.
Strengthening the capacity of the institutions responsible for managing and overseeing foreign employment is also of paramount importance.
But there is little that is encouraging in this scenario. Without a head, the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) has been crippled for more than a year. No initiative has been taken to fill this important position, as a result of which billions of rupees that could be utilized in improving the foreign employment sector are lying idle in bank accounts.
It is also time to think out of the box, even if it means amending prevailing laws and rules if necessary. We need to adopt policies that allow the Board to use, at least, the earnings from this ever ballooning fund to provide scholarships, medical facilities, vocational training and micro credits to deserving migrant workers. The next agenda could be to boldly but cautiously consider extending services along the lines of the Employees Provident Fund and the Citizens Investment Fund.
Finally, Manpower Agencies should not forget that they owe their affluence to migrant workers. So they have a duty to ensure that these workers are treated well and paid on time and in full by their employers. At the same time, they also need to invest a part of their wealth on projects aimed at preserving the sanctity of families of the workers, especially at the grassroots level. On its part, the government should develop and execute model programs with a sense of urgency. Only then can the much-hyped goal of making foreign employment dignified, secure and sustainable, be a reality.
The author is former Joint Secretary of MOFA
pantnarayan@gmail.com
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