CMIR

From the blog

Legal and Paralegal Support

Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nepal data states that every year half a million Nepalese migrant workers leave Nepal for foreign employment to pursue their dream of employment and to enhance the quality of lives of their families. Many families’ primary needs are fulfilled through remittances. Nepalese migrant workers have been contributing around 28% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nepal through the remittances. Livelihoods of many Nepalese families have changed over few decades byforeign employment; increase awareness in quality education, good health and nutrition are some of the fair example of increase in their quality lives. But the story is not the same for many migrant workers and their families. The chain of false promise and deception begins from the very first stage of foreign employment process. Every year around 4000 complains have been filed in DoFE, Nepal against recruitment agencies and agents; around 4000 to 5000 cases have been registered in the Embassies of Nepal in destination countries regarding labour issue; more than thousands of migrant workers have been detained, around 1200 have been reported dead and thousands of female migrant workers have been facing domestic violation. However, the Civil Society Organizations and the government have claimed that the number of deception and violation have been found very high in comparison to the actual complaints received. Trafficking in person, use of unauthorized routes, dual contract, underpayment and nonpayment of wages by the sponsor, misbehavior by the sponsor, death due to unsecured work and unhygienic food, traffic accidents are some of the major problems that many Nepalese migrant workers have been facing during foreign employment. There have been some efforts from the government and civil society organizations to address the problem of migrant workers and their families, despite many barriers exists like centralized foreign employment offices, limited staff at diplomatic missions, limited and restricted access of migrant workers to government institutions. Due to this fact, many problems of migrant workers are unheard. These circumstances have given space to the traffickers, fraud recruitment agencies and sponsors to continue deceiving migrant workers.

Legal and Paralegal Support is a philanthropic effort of CMIR to provide immediate support for distressed migrant workers and their families. Rescue or immediate support includes a range of services including rescue and legal aid support to distressed migrant workers, especially working in GCC countries and Malaysia, legal aid support to families of distressed migrant workers, immediate health-care and psychosocial counseling and transit-home (safe house) services for distressed migrant workers. CMIR uses its wide-spread relations with national and international line agencies, migrant rights and human rights institutions, regional and global networks, partners, Diaspora group, UN agencies and individuals to operate its rescue and immediate support works.

CMIR supports 400+ distressed and destitute Nepalese migrant workers and their families every year. Realizing the gravity of problem, CMIR has been re-equipping its staffs and members frequently to cope up with the problems that migrant workers have been facing and mobilizing its rescue fund to rescue or provide immediate support to distressed migrant workers through arrangement of return tickets to detained Nepalese migrant workers, provide travel expenses to rescued migrant workers to reach their home, facilitate to bringing back dead bodies, rescue of domestic workers, immediate health-care and psychological counseling to injured and migrant workers having severe health problems and others. Services offered from CMIR are absolutely free for migrant workers and their families.

View our Legal and Paralegal Support Reports 

Let us help to support many distressed Nepalese migrant workers.

Support our ‘Legal and Paralegal Project’.

 

8

Years

2300+

Legally Supported

50+

Information Materials developed

30+

Research, Policy papers and Articles published

40+

Interns/fellows from 10 countries and 16 universities benefited