Foreign labour migration in Nepal in relation to COVID-19: analysis of migrants’ aspirations, policy response and policy gaps from disaster justice perspective

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the effectiveness of migration policies in dealing with the challenges that Nepalese migrants faced during this pandemic from a disaster justice perspective. Like in other periods of natural or human-made crises, the Nepal Government brought new policies and programmes to help the victims in their reintegration. In this context, this paper examines what policies and programmes worked and what did not work based on the findings of a large survey conducted among migrants and qualitative information collected during the implementation of a programme on reintegration. The paper highlights that understanding the social vulnerability of migrants is critical to devising policies that could benefit them in such disasters. It demonstrates that socially vulnerable groups are not only disproportionately affected by disasters and are less capable of resilience and recovery; they are also not supported well by public institutions like the government. This situation makes such migrants further vulnerable to poverty, physical exploitation and psychological stresses, which calls for policies and programmes that support them in preparedness and, in the event of a disaster, long-term recovery until they become resilient. This study shows that local governments are in a better position to target the ‘socially vulnerable’ and to implement reintegration programmes.

KEYWORDS:

• Nepali migrants
• social vulnerability
• reintegration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS?locations=NP

2 Available at https://dofe.gov.np/yearly.aspx, accessed 14 August 2023.

3 China.org.cn (2023). Record high of Nepalese work abroad. Xinhua, July 18, 2023.

4 https://kathmandupost.com/money/2021/08/22/remittance-hits-rs961-billion-an-all-time-high-in-the-time-of-covid-19

5 Prasain, Sangam (2021). Remittance drops for the third straight months. The Kathmandu Post. November 17, 2021. https://kathmandupost.com/money/2021/11/17/remittance-drops-for-the-third-straight-month.

6 https://reliefweb.int/report/nepal/pandemic-dramatically-alters-path-migrant-workers

7 Personal communication with the Project Coordinator from Nepal Institute of Development Studies (NIDS) – the implementing institution.

8 The proportion of females in total migrant population in Nepal is close to 9% (IoM 2019).

9 From the welfare fund, the families of deceased migrant workers will get Rs 70,000. Similarly, the family of the deceased migrant will also have a life insurance coverage amounting to Rs 1.5 million. Migrants can get up to Rs 0.5 million for life-threatening health problems arisen from the work. The welfare fund currently holds more than Rs 6 billion in its account.

10 https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/06/17/supreme-court-orders-government-to-use-welfare-fund-to-repatriate-nepali-workers-stranded-abroad

11 There has been rapid change in policies regarding women migration. Most of them either banned women to migrate or made it strict to migrate, which led them to migrate through informal/irregular channels. This made them further vulnerable to unscrupulous agents or employers.

12 https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/06/05/government-underestimates-number-of-workers-awaiting-repatriation-say-experts

13 National Planning Commission (2020).The Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Foreign Employment and its Impact on the Economy of Nepal. National Planning Commission, Singhadurbar, Kathmandu.

14 Ibid.

15 Nepal Human Rights Commissions, “Conduct operation of the quarantine as per the set standards” Press Release (18 May 2020), available at: https://www.nhrcnepal.org/nhrc_new/doc/newsletter/Operate%20Quarentine%20in%20accordance%20with%20the%20standards.pdf

16 COVID-19 ko Bishwabyapi sankraman ko karanbata utpanna asahajparishthitima swadesh aunaiparne awasthama raheka Nepali nagariklai swadesh aauna sahajikaran garne sambandhi aadesh 2077. https://mofaga.gov.np/news-notice/1872

17 ‘Nepali NagariklaiSwadeshAunaSahajikaranGarneSambandhiKaryaYojana’, 2077 (Action Plan to Facilitate the Return Home of Nepali Citizens, 2020), https://www.opmcm.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Action-plan-2077.pdf

18 Onlinekhabar, ‘SarkarkoPrastab: Sab BideshmaiAntestiGarnaDinus, 50 Hajar Linus (Government's Proposal: Let the Body Be Buried Abroad, Take 50 Thousand),’ Onlinekhabar, 11 May 2020, https://www.onlinekhabar.com/2020/05/863076.

19 https://www.nrb.org.np/contents/uploads/2020/04/Circular_Electronic_Txns_Limit_Amendment_20200322-1.pdf

20 Ministry of Finance (2020).Budget speech for 2020/21. https://mof.gov.np/uploads/document/file/Budget%20Speech%202020_20201118033431.pdf

21 Directive on Repatriation of stranded Nepali workers in the course of Foreign Employment due to Global Infection of COVID-19, 2020. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MU2Kp6HyZgSadoqbuACdUMHfX3K9C_2p/view

22 Available at: https://ccmc.gov.np/arms/person_add.php