UCA News
Contribute

The human cost of Nepal's migration

'Forced migration' we are witnessing today is in many ways just a modern form of slavery and way to traffic people
The human cost of Nepal's migration

A Nepalese migrant worker who was trafficked to Syria is now back at home in Nepal's Dhadhing district, in this Jan. 25 photo. She was frequently beaten with a baton and given only one meal a day, while working 13 months as a maid for a Syrian household. (Photo by AFP)

Published: May 13, 2016 03:08 AM GMT
Updated: May 13, 2016 03:12 AM GMT

Scripture tells us to take care of strangers. Indeed when Jesus himself was an infant his family fled to Egypt to avoid Herod. It is worth remembering, that our savior, at one point in his life, was a refugee and migrant.

Scripture also explains to us the important role of women in God's plan. Jesus himself protected the dignity of women from many of the socio-cultural based gender biasness of his time.

When Pope Francis recently washed the feet of 12 refugees at a migrant center in Italy, it drew the attention of the entire world. Among the eight men and four women who participated in the foot washing ceremony, were Muslims, Coptic Christians and one Hindu.

Through his compassionate action, the pope revealed how the Catholic Church can move beyond its sacramental boundaries.

Yet the fact remains that migration and gender issues are two contentious dimensions of our complicated globalized world.

Migration, as especially witnessed in Europe has becomes an issue of global significance.

The pope's strong message reminded me when I was once part of a Pax Romana team in Malaysia distributing medical supplies to indigenous Indonesian refugees on a Good Friday.

During this work we also came across a group of undocumented Nepalese migrant workers who had been stuck in the country for several years.

It saddened me to witness the state of my fellow countrymen.

But given the poverty levels we have in Nepal, would it be any better for them in their home country?

Three quarters of the Nepalese population earns US$2 or less a day. This poverty in my country is a driving factor for what I describe as "forced migration."

Not including those who go to neighboring India, around 1,500 Nepalese per day leave their country in search of work. Since 2006, around 2.6 million of them have gone aboard to work. That's roughly one in 10 of the population.

In return about 55 percent of Nepal's households receive remittance from a worker overseas, a chunk of money that represents nearly 30 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

That money sent back to families seems like a good arrangement but it comes at a high cost to the workers themselves and to Nepalese society.

While Nepal has witnessed phenomenal growth of overseas migration over the past decade, efforts to protect rights of migrant workers and their families does not have a notable record.

On average at least three Nepali migrant workers die each day. Hundreds are injured on a daily basis and return to Nepal disabled.

Many of those working abroad are doing so in involuntary servitude and women migrant workers are the most vulnerable.

The forced migration we are witnessing today is in many ways just a modern form of slavery and a new way of trafficking people.

Women are victimized through trafficking and abuse. In early 2015, the Times of India newspaper reported that 6,000-8,000 Nepali girls have been trafficked to the United Arab Emirates.

But among the other challenges migrants face include the nonfulfillment of contracts and contract substitutions. There are also cases of migrant workers being stranded, cheated or having to deal with health related problems while being thousands of kilometers from home.

Many of these problems arise for a number of reasons. They can occur when workers themselves do not take precautions. Difficulties are also created by unscrupulous Nepalese employment agencies and the malpractices of agents for employer companies.    

Agencies and consultancies charge migrant workers large amounts for their services. Often the workers don't get their money's worth or they simply get duped.

Even well-off Nepalese who travel to Europe or other developed nations to study or work pay a handsome amount to consultancies but find life in the new country not what they expected.

Many end up in the situation where they end up being an undocumented migrant, some of whom need to take refuge with a church organization.

Back home in Nepal, the affects of this mass migration are obvious. Families are divided and relationships break down.

In rural areas, I mostly see old people living in villages. The young and able have left to find work abroad while their ancestral farmland remains unworked.

Meanwhile, I would also add that often a large part of the remittances received ends up being spent unproductively.

There are cases were spouses of those working abroad run off with someone else leaving behind children and family members. Alternatively, migrant workers abroad do similar and don’t return home at all or come back with HIV.

Given the nature of the migration we are seeing from Nepal, these types of unhappy scenarios are on the increase.

How are church organizations dealing with the issue?

Even though Christianity in Nepal represents a tiny section of the country's population, the church has always supported refugees with support for the education of Bhutanese refugees being one example.

It should be noted that Kathmandu itself remains a place of sanctuary for thousands of African, Tibetan and Bhutanese refugees.

Church organizations are service providers and mediators for the wellbeing and resettlement of refugees in third countries via other agencies such as the International Organization for Migration.

The church has a supportive role in both countries of origin and destination. In some Middle East countries, Nepalese women found in deplorable conditions are being supported by church organizations.

Internationally there is no doubt that church agencies are assisting to find a humanitarian response to the global refugee crisis much of which is a man-made disaster.

More of course can be done.

Church organizations can join hands in order to appeal to various nations to protect and promote the rights of all migrants workers.

Local churches and religious communities can raise their voices against malpractices against migrant workers that occur in their own countries.

Church groups can run development programs, which could educate people about safe migration practices and provide skill development training that help ensure safe and dignified migration. Training programs can also assist with the proper utilization of money and even the strengthening of family bonds.

In the end I have faith that all of our local churches around the world have the potential not only to change communities but entire nations and the Earth that we share. The time to do this is not tomorrow, but today. 

Prakash Khadka is a peace and human rights activist as well as the Nepal representative of Pax Romana, the international Catholic movement for intellectual and cultural affairs.

Help UCA News to be independent
Dear reader,
Lent is the season during which catechumens make their final preparations to be welcomed into the Church.
Each year during Lent, UCA News presents the stories of people who will join the Church in proclaiming that Jesus Christ is their Lord. The stories of how women and men who will be baptized came to believe in Christ are inspirations for all of us as we prepare to celebrate the Church's chief feast.
Help us with your donations to bring such stories of faith that make a difference in the Church and society.
A small contribution of US$5 will support us continue our mission…
William J. Grimm
Publisher
UCA News
Asian Bishops
Latest News
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia