ABU DHABI The Nepal government will not lift restrictions on the recruitment of domestic workers for the UAE despite an expected surge in the number of applicants after the April 25 earthquake, the Nepalese envoy told XPRESS.
“There will be no change in the rules. Given the current circumstances, there could be many people who are looking for opportunities abroad. But we have to first ensure their welfare,” Dhananjay Jha, Nepalese ambassador to the UAE, said.
Exploitation concerns
Concerned about exploitation, Nepal last year banned the recruitment of its women for domestic work in the UAE and other Gulf countries. Likewise, the Philippines and Indonesia also stopped processing housemaid contracts, spurring a shortage of domestic help in the emirates.
Jha said his government is taking care to ensure that women do not fall victims of overseas bogus job offers as many families have been rendered homeless and desperate by the earthquake.
He said Nepalese would be allowed to take up domestic jobs overseas only if they meet certain conditions. Among other things, the recruiting agencies they go through must be registered with the Department of Foreign Employment, he said, adding that the new restrictions also make it mandatory for UAE-based agencies to register with the Nepalese Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
“So far not a single agency has registered with us. We won’t allow local firms to recruit domestic maids without fulfilling the criteria,” said the ambassador.
Meanwhile, aid agencies have raised concerns over human traffickers posing as relief workers to lure women living in Nepal’s relief camps.
“There are thousands of women and young girls who are at risk. They are living under the open skies and many are without families. They are easy targets for traffickers,” said Sunita Danuwar, president of Shakthi Samuha, an NGO in Nepal.
Mike Bruce of development organisation Plan International warned against the tendency to jump at overseas job offers and marriage proposals without properly verifying their authenticity.
