Kathmandu, 20 December: Details of the deaths of more than 14,000 people who went for foreign employment in the last 15 years have been made public. Since the establishment of the Foreign Employment Board Secretariat in the fiscal year 2065/66(2008/2009), 14,213 people have died in the course of foreign employment.
The details were made public by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security on the occasion of International Migrant Workers’ Day, which is being celebrated across Nepal for a week. The ministry is celebrating the day, which falls on Wednesday, by organizing various programs from December 16 to 22.
The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has organized a week-long program by forming a day main celebration committee under the coordination of the Ministry’s Secretary Mukunda Prasad Niraula to celebrate the day. According to the details made public by the committee, only 3,440 workers have returned after being seriously ill and injured during the period since the establishment of the board. Secretary Niraula informed that they have been provided financial assistance from the Foreign Employment Board. He said that they have gone to 111 different countries from Nepal as civil migrants.
According to the International Organization for Migration’s Migration Report, 2024, an estimated 281 million people are migrants worldwide. Of these, 169 million are migrant workers. Keeping in mind the discrimination that may be faced by migrants, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 1990, on December 18, which came into force on July 1, 2003.
Therefore, International Migrants Day is celebrated every year on December 18. The United Nations has called for this day to be celebrated globally to raise awareness about the challenges and opportunities of migration and to recognize the contributions of migrants around the world. Therefore, in Nepal too, this day is celebrated every year by organizing various programs under the joint initiative of various parties including government, non-government, private sector, trade unions, civil society, migrant workers and their families, and the transportation industry.
Foreign employment has made a significant contribution to making Nepal’s economy dynamic. The Ministry of Labor has stated that the government’s policy is to maximize the capital, technology, skills, and experience acquired through foreign employment, making the labor force, the backbone of the economy, productive and competitive.
The Government of Nepal’s policies and programs for the fiscal year 2081/82 include amendments to foreign employment-related laws to make foreign employment safe and dignified, ensuring skilled employment, free orientation training, reviewing labor agreements as well as labor agreements and understandings with additional destination countries, encouraging citizens who want to go for foreign employment to open free bank accounts and bring remittances back home through the same account, and implementing the Returnee Entrepreneurship Program.
In the fiscal year 2080/81(2023/2024), remittance inflow increased by 16.5 percent compared to the previous fiscal year, reaching an amount of Rs. 1445 billion 320 million, according to the data of the Nepal Rastra Bank. The committee stated that the remittances sent by a total of 741,297 workers, including 80,172 women, who went for foreign employment with work permits (including re-permits) from the Department of Foreign Employment in the fiscal year 2080/81 have greatly contributed to the running of the households of migrant workers, improvement in the human asset index, and reduction of the economic risk of families living in poverty, and to the economy of Nepal. According to the World Bank’s October 2024 report, remittances account for more than a quarter of the gross domestic product in Nepal.
Therefore, the Ministry has stated that various programs are being organized as per the decision to celebrate Immigrants’ Day week-long this year as in previous years, with the aim of raising awareness among stakeholders for safe and dignified foreign employment.
Local and district-level bodies such as District Administration Offices, District Police Offices, Municipalities and Rural Municipalities have an important role in preparing documents such as passports, skill training and orientation required for going for foreign employment. Therefore, Secretary Niraula says that International Migrant Workers’ Day, which is a matter of concern to everyone, holds special significance at the local level as well. Basanta Bohara, Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, says that the immigration policy is being revised to make foreign employment more systematic. He said that the policy is currently in the suggestion stage.
Another deputy secretary of the ministry, Mahesh Parajuli, has informed that a study has found that 98.9 percent of remittances are sent through formal channels and the number of people facing problems is low. He said that since the earned money is seen to be spent more on household management, encouragement and awareness are necessary to use it for income generation and such programs will help.
