The survey carried out on Nepali migrant labor in Malaysia and Nepal concluded that almost two-thirds of survey respondents had to pay high and illegal recruitment fees to the recruitment agencies for foreign employment.

88% of the respondents in mobile phone survey of 414 Nepali migrant workers reported payment of fees to agents for overseas jobs. “Because these fees are so high, the majority had to borrow more than half the sum from village moneylenders, placing them in debt,” the report noted.

To meet such high demands of the middlemen, many workers are finding no way other than limiting themselves to low-paid jobs or remain exploited to clear their debts.

“Workers’ calculations about how they will repay these loans are often derailed by unpaid wages or other forms of labor exploitation,” concluded the report.

More than 53 percent of the surveyed reported lower monthly salaries than what was promised by the recruitment agents.

A Special Case

Such situation was reportedly found in case of Nepali migrant labor in Qatar working for the construction of stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Nepali migrant workers to Qatar working in the project are reportedly facing vicious cycle of debt and exploitation, the report noted.

Nepali labor working in Qatar are facing exploitation

This report comes as an additional pressure to FIFA that has been facing internal pressure from its advisory board with regard to Kafala System, a mechanism used in Gulf countries to monitor migrant labor and is often termed as ‘modern-day slavery’.

“Companies who employ migrant workers in the Gulf and Malaysia directly or through their suppliers or subcontractors also have a responsibility. They need to take steps to prevent exploitative labor recruitment,” said AI in its release.

AI further urged the concerned companies to ensure migrants, who have paid recruitment fees, are reimbursed. “Until they take action, they are reinforcing the debt trap that is destroying so many lives in Nepal,” the release added.

Weak Enforcement Laws

Stating that “Nepali migrant workers are being systematically and mercilessly set up,” the Deputy Director of AI’s Global Issues Program James Lynch noted that weak enforcement of relevant laws by the Nepali Government is resulting in this situation.

“Migrant workers all too often end up trapped in the soul-destroying situation of working abroad for years simply to pay off the huge, often illegal fees they were charged to take the job,” James added.

“Nepali Government’s failure to crack down on recruitment agencies, which charge illegal fees for jobs abroad, is leaving migrant workers trapped in a vicious cycle of debt and exploitation,” the report concluded.

This situation is seen despite the presence of governmental policies like ‘Free Visa, Free Ticket’ introduced in July 2015, and only 20% of the surveyed reported proper implementation of the same.

Deep Exploitation

After an analysis and review of 100 Nepali recruitment websites, AI found that that Nepali labor are being advertised as ‘loyal and completely dedicated to work even in adverse situations’.

“Disturbingly, some of these recruiters – who trap workers into bonded labor by saddling them with huge debts – market Nepali workers to prospective foreign clients by highlighting how unlikely they are to leave their jobs,” highlighted the report.

Matter of Urgency

Nepal is working with other labor-sending nations to address migrant workers concerns

Terming this as a matter of urgency, James Lynch urged the Nepali government and businesses to take necessary measures and control corruption in the Nepali recruitment industry to protect migrant workers.

“A good start would be to penalize recruitment agencies that are not complying with the law. Until companies take action, they are reinforcing the debt trap that is destroying so many lives in Nepal,” he added.

In line with the report, Bhuban K.C., a senior official in Nepali Labor Ministry, has reportedly informed that Nepal is working with other labor-sending nations like India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka towards necessary measures to protect migrant workers’ interests.

“We are raising our voice internationally to ensure that migrants are not cheated,” said Bhuban while also informing that the concerned authorities are offering compensations to the victims.

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Nepal and Oman yesterday discussed bilateral cooperation in various sectors as part of the Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s visit to the latter country.

As part of his four-day to Oman, PM Deuba held a meeting with Omani Deputy PM Sayyid Fahad bin Mahmood Al-Said at the Royal Palace in the Omani capital Muscat yesterday.

As part of the discussion, PM Deuba sought Oman’s assistance for the development of tourism, health, agriculture and hydropower sectors of Nepal.

“We are on the verge of ending the transitional phase. Nepal will soon become a perfect destination for foreign investors and we hope Oman will invest in Nepal,” said PM Deuba.

In response, Omani Deputy PM informed that Oman will open a consulate in Nepal owing to Nepal’s significant strategic importance.

According to the Nepali Ambassador to Oman Sharmila Parajuli Dhakal, Oman Deputy PM expressed willingness to strengthen ties with Nepal by opening its embassy in the latter country.

“Nepali migrant workers in Oman have made a good impression. Oman will open a consulate in Nepal as it carries a significant strategic importance,” said Oman Deputy PM.

Omani Deputy PM also said that Nepali people would be in their utmost priority owing to Oman’s requirement of more human capital for development.

Creation of employment for Nepalese in Oman and mechanisms to protect their interest were among other issues discussed, informed Ambassador Dhakal.

Around 15,000 Nepalese are currently in Oman, mostly engaged in the hotel sector and domestic services.

The post Nepal, Oman Discuss Cooperation in Various Sectors appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The event, which had the Nepali Ambassador to Qatar Dr. Ramesh Prasad Koirala as the chief guest, was held at Asian Amphitheatre, Grand Mall, Qatar.

Amid the presence of around 15,000 attendees, Lama bagged the Nepal Idol 2017 title and received a Mahindra KUV 100, a record deal worth 1.5 million Nepali rupees along with a cash prize of Nepali Rs 2 million.

In this event, that was judged by Singer Indira Joshi and musicians Kali Prasad Baskota and Nhu Bajracharya, Lama won the top prize, followed by Nishan Bhattarai and Pratap Das who stood after him in the first and second runner-up positions and were given receiving a cash prizes of Nepali Rs 1.5 million and Nepali Rs 1 million, respectively.

According to the organizers of the event, the winners were selected based on the voting process through SMS and mobile app and around 93,100,000 members cast their votes during the finale.

As part of the occasion, the Nepali Ambassador called on Nepalese in Qatar to reach out to the Nepali Embassy in case of any issues troubling them.

Excited over the victory, Lama said, “I want to be adored, not only by the people of my community but by everyone. I will pursue my career in music and see people appreciating my musical works.”

Lama remained dedicated to learning music since his childhood. His process of learning music positioned him as the top-four singer in the Big Icon, a singing competition in 2012, among various others.

Apart from music, Lama is currently pursuing Tourism Hospitality Management course.

Bhattarai, the first runner-up, said that the show provided him a platform to exhibit his singing skills. He expressed satisfaction saying that he won the hearts of the public even if the title was missed.

The second-runner Das, one of the top 10 contestants of Nepali Tara, welcomed the support extended by the audience.

Apart from the contestants, the event also witnessed the performances by comedian duo Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Acharya, popularly called as Maha Jodi.

Teria Magar, Nepali winner of two Indian dance reality shows, singers Hemanta Rana and Nalina Chitrakar are among others who performed at the event.

This event was jointly organized by the Onix Action International and Everest Nepal Youth Association. Nepal Idol, affiliated to the Idol franchise, is a reality show aired by Nepal’s only HD television AP1.

The post Buddha Lama Wins Nepal Idol 2017 appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Despite being busy in their full-time jobs, Nepalese working in Qatar are utilizing their free time to run organizations, which are active in organizing cultural programmes that promote native culture, social activities, among others.

International Artists Society (IAS), International Artists’ Forum (IAF), Nepalese Arts Center (NAC), Non-Resident Nepalese Musical Family (NRNMF), Arambha Natya Dabali (AND), Basanta Films, Tamu Cultural Society (TCS), Fewa Cultural Society (FCS), Mithila Arts Center (MAC), QN Band, Sandhya Group, Naba Pratibha Cultural Group (NPCG), Sangharsha Band, UNI Dance Troupe, Rhythm Arts Center (RAA), Sur Sudha Arts Center (SSAC) and Miteri Films are some of the notable organizations that are actively promoting Nepali culture and arts.

These organizations primarily focus on varied cultures of Nepal. By organizing programmes that cover various categories such as dancing, singing and realty shows, these organizations drew wide attention of the Nepali expatriate community in Qatar.

An Overview

IAF, registered with the Nepali embassy, is a sister organization of IAF-USA and primarily works in the domains of art, culture and literature. Through its fund-raising concerts, IAF supported various disaster survivors across Nepal. IAF also partnered with the Nepali film community to host an annual Nepali Film Awards ceremony in 2010.

Tamu Cultural Family (TCF) is one organization that majorly focuses on the promotion of indigenous folk music of Nepal, especially of Tamus or Gurung Nepali communities. Formed in 2004, TCF also organizes programmes that enable artistes to perform notable Nepali dances such as Ghatu, Kauda and Chudki.

TCF celebrates Loshar festival annually and elects a nominal king each year to commemorate their own kingdom, which existed hundreds of years ago in central Nepal.

Manakamana or NCC is another organization that has released various popular music albums and its artistes are known for receiving awards in various reality shows.

Basanta Films is another Qatar-based Nepali organization that has released more than 100 songs and provided over a million Nepalese rupees to disadvantaged groups since its inception in 2015. It has felicitated around 120 Qatar-based artistes till date.

Miteri Cultural Group is famous for its feature film Pardesh ko Jindagi (Life Outside Country), a movie on Qatar-based Nepalis shot in various locations of Qatar.

Active Participation in Local Activities

Nepalese in Qatar are also known for their active participation in local cultural festivals like Qatar National Day, Qatar Sport Day and the two Eid festivals, organized by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior, Qatar.

Besides, they also organize awareness programmes on traffic rules and laws of Qatar to the large number of new entrants into the country, blood donation camps and beach cleaning programmes.

In total, the Nepali community of Qatar comprises of 450,000 Nepalese and more than 130 Nepali organizations that represent over 75 districts and ethnic communities of Nepal.

Many of these organisations are working towards the promotion of Nepali art and culture. Besides cultural activities, these organizations also involve in activities such as helping Nepali Embassy in Qatar in its activities. They played a key role in replacing handwritten Nepali passports with machine-readable ones).

Many of them also used their platforms to channel funds to their home districts, support street and orphan children, providing clothes to underprivileged and disaster survivors.

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