Economic Conditions Force Nepali Women to Migrate

Poverty, household conditions, and lack of respectable & well-paying jobs are the major reasons that forced Nepali women to migrate to foreign destinations, noted a recently-released report.

The report titled, ‘A Study on Causes of Women’s Migration to Foreign Employment and Ways to Reintegrating them into the National Labor Market’, was prepared by the researchers of Social Science Baha, with support from the UN Women.

According to the report, 55 percent of women migrated to improve their household economic conditions, while 24 percent moved to ensure better future for their children and 22 percent to overcome debt issues.

Family conflicts, stigma of being single, and easy availability of brokers who promised foreign job opportunities are among other reasons that forced Nepali women to leave the country, says the report.

Migrants Face Tough Time

The research says that there is no significant difference between returnees and non-migrants, in terms of working situation.

Migrant women workers witnessed long working hours, denial of leaves, and confiscation of passports. 32 percent of the surveyed women suffered verbal abuse, followed by physical abuse (8.9 percent), and sexual abuse (less than 2 percent).

While 34 percent of the returnees are working in the labor market, including casual work, self-employed or commercial jobs, 31 percent are willing to re-migrate.

Women, More Than Men, Desired to Migrate

According to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the number of women who sought labor permits for working in foreign locations rose by 106 percent during 2010-15, while the men proportion increased only 39 percent.

“Those who returned had brought back caretaking skills than professional skills. We have to offer them additional skills and entrepreneurship trainings to bring them back to labor market in the country,” said the Ministry of Industry spokesperson, Purushottam.

This report is an outcome of the survey conducted among 1,210 women in 22 field sites of Jhapa, Sindhupalchok, Nawalparasi, Kaski and Kailali districts, including non-migrants and those returned from foreign employment.