Malaysia is worse

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Oct 6, 2013

In Malaysia alone, 253 Nepalis migrants died last year (officially), making it easily the deadliest destination for Nepali workers.

Ishwar Rauniyar, Republica

Recent revelations on the state of Nepali migrant workers in Qatar garnered worldwide attention. They revealed how Nepali workers are needlessly losing their lives in Qatar and are routinely exploited by their employers who burden them with extra work, but offer little in return.

The news comes at a time Qatar is preparing for the 2022 football World Cup. Though the issue was not new for Nepal, the way it was reported in one of the prestigious international newspapers forced national and international officials, human rights activists and Qatar government to take it seriously.

Now the debate is whether Qatar should host the 2022 event at all. As in Qatar, the situation of Nepalis migrant workers in Malaysia and other Gulf countries is pathetic as well. Neither the receiving countries nor the sending country has been able to properly manage migrant workers, though both are deriving huge ‘benefits’ from them.

Nepal has sent a record number of workers abroad in the past few years. On average, around 1,600 leave the country every day to work in the Gulf, Malaysia and South Korea. The money sent home by more than 2.5 million Nepali migrant workers is the largest foreign exchange earner for the country.

More than 400,000 people come into the job market every year; ninety percent of them find employment overseas. Money sent home by workers makes up a big chunk of the Nepali economy. Last year, remittances were worth roughly US $4.5 billion, almost a quarter of Nepali GDP.

Recently Maya Kumari Sharma, former ambassador to Qatar, got dismissed from her post after commenting that “Qatar is an open jail” in BBC Sajha Sawal a few months ago. Her statement invited huge controversy both in Nepal and Qatar. Since then, the Qatar government has asked her to leave the country. But Qatar is only the tip of the iceberg.

A recent report released by the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) claims that at least 726 Nepalis migrant workers died in the East Asian and Gulf countries in last one year. The actual numbers are likely to be higher still as these statistics discount illegal workers. In Malaysia alone, 253 Nepalis migrants died last year (officially), making it easily the deadliest destination for Nepali workers.

The Guardian reports highlight the pathetic state Nepalis workers are forced to live under in Qatar as well as their wretched work conditions. Similar is the case with Malaysia.
Studies have shown that a migrant worker is cheated an average of 16 times during his journey from his village to the foreign destination of his choice. It starts with the loan shark in the village, then it’s the turn of the manpower company to profit, all the way to the profiteers in the final destination.

One of my colleague’s brothers was asked for Rs 125,000 to go to Malaysia, though the government rate is only Rs 80,000. Looking for help, he contacted the Director General of the Department of Foreign Employment; however the DG failed to do anything claiming he simply didn’t have enough staff.

Later, when the Secretary at the Labor Ministry was contacted, he too expressed his helplessness. The issue was taken to the prime minister’s office. But even so, nothing could be done. You can imagine the plight of those who don’t have such robust connections.

How can common people get justice in this country? Poor migrants become the victims of this government apathy. Not only are they overcharged during the application process, they don’t even get the promised jobs and salaries when abroad.