is Co-Founder, ENGAGE, Inclusive Change Through Volunteering, a not-for-profit in Nepal.
Thousands of men, women and children fall victim each year to human trafficking, a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. The 18-year-old girl (pictured) was taken to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and promised work as a housekeeper but forced to become a sex worker. Credit: UNICEF/UN045727/Pirozzi
KATHMANDU, Nepal, Apr 20 2021 (IPS) - The numbers are so staggering that is hardly imaginable striking a positive tone about the situation of child trafficking in Nepal and yet some positive developments are occurring here in a country that soon could be set to graduate from the group of least developing countries.
Migrant workers allowed to extend stay in Korea for one year
Posted : 2021-04-13 10:54
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The government announced a decision Tuesday to extend the period of stay for about 115,000 foreign migrant workers by one year in a bid to relieve labor shortages at small businesses and in farming and fishing communities.
The labor and justice ministries said that the temporary extension of stay will apply to the E-9 non-professional employment and H-2 visiting employment visa holders, whose period of staying and working in South Korea is set to expire between Tuesday and Dec. 31.
The extraordinary measure will be implemented in consideration of COVID-19-related travel restrictions faced by migrant workers and labor shortages at domestic industrial, farming and fishing businesses, the ministries said.
Nepali migrant worker goes home after spending 40 years in the Indian prison system globalvoices.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from globalvoices.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
February 17, 2021
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The Nepali Department of Immigration caused a major uproar when it proposed a legal amendment this month requiring women under the age of 40 to seek approval from their families and local wards to travel to other countries with a visit visa. The proposed amendment is in clear contradiction with articles 13 and 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which Nepal is a signatory, that guarantee the rights of freedom of movement and asylum.
Speaking with The Record, Ramesh Kumar KC, director-general of the Department of Immigration, stated that the proposal aims to prevent human trafficking while also making it easier for government authorities to help women when they are in trouble abroad. He added, “Many women have been stranded in foreign lands. Many women don’t even know the name of the country they are going to.”
Credit: Nepali Times
KATHMANDU, Feb 15 2021 (IPS) - A proposal by Nepal’s Immigration Department requiring consent from a guardian and local government for women under the age of 40 travelling to the Gulf or Africa has sparked public fury, and is taken as yet another proof of a misogynist, bungling bureaucracy.
The Department made the recommendation to the Home Ministry on Wednesday, saying it was needed to curb the trafficking of Nepali women without labour permits, especially to the Gulf countries.
However, instead of clamping down on the ‘setting’ and collusion between recruiters, immigration officials and foreign-based agents to curb trafficking, the restrictions overlook womens’ agency in making decisions, their freedom to travel and work.