KATHMANDU, Sep 8: Around 1,000 Nepali youths who ventured to Kuwait for overseas employment have found themselves in dire straits. These young individuals, who embarked on their journey to work as cleaners for the Kuwait-based company "The Blue Sea Trading Co WLL" some 11 months ago, now face a precarious situation.
Stranded and homeless, these Nepali citizens are grappling with unemployment and unpaid wages. Frustrated by their predicament in Kuwait, they have urged the government and various organizations to take immediate action to facilitate their return to Nepal.
The affected individuals disclosed that they had arrived in Kuwait through several manpower agencies based in Kathmandu, including Baibhav Overseas Pvt Ltd, Omega Overseas, Jaljala Overseas, New SB Overseas, and Gurung Management Overseas Pvt Ltd.
The plight of Nepali youths seeking foreign employment has been a recurrent issue, with many facing difficulties upon their arrival abroad. Some have attributed these challenges to the irresponsibility of certain manpower companies. According to one of the stranded individuals who contacted Republica, they had paid sums ranging from Rs 160,000 to Rs 200,000 to the manpower agencies and agents, with the promise of earning a monthly salary of Rs 85 Kuwaiti Dinar. However, once they secured employment, they realized their earnings were limited to just Rs 12,000 to Rs 18,000 per month, and they were unable to secure consistent work.
The victims recounted that the manpower agency had initially enticed them with the possibility of earning 120 Kuwaiti Dinar for 12 hours of work and 150 Kuwaiti Dinar for 16 hours. However, they found themselves without employment, let alone overtime opportunities.
Kul Bahadur Rai, one of the stranded individuals who had paid Rs 160,000 to a manpower company, expressed his distress, saying, "I came abroad to earn money, but I don't have the means to return home now." Despite reaching out to the Baibhav Manpower Company for assistance, he remained unemployed for over a month and a half. Rai lamented that the company not only failed to provide employment but also refused to cover their basic expenses. Some fortunate individuals managed to secure funds from their families and returned home, but approximately 1,000 individuals remain stranded in Kuwait.
The stranded Nepali youths have urgently appealed to the Nepali government for assistance. They have expressed dissatisfaction with the Nepali Embassy in Kuwait, believing it is not adequately addressing their concerns. In their eyes, the embassy appears to favor the employer company and the manpower agencies over the welfare of Nepali citizens seeking employment abroad. Some victims reported that when they contacted the Nepali Embassy in Kuwait about contractual issues with their employer, they received recommendations to return to Nepal, but no tangible efforts were made to mediate the issues with the company.
The unemployed youths are currently residing in seven camps, and their predicament has affected individuals from various districts across Nepal, including Khotang, Sunsari, Dang, Salyan, Rolpa, Rukum, Chitwan, Kathmandu, Jajarkot, Mugu, Kanchanpur, Darchula, Baitadi, Syangja, Sankhuwasabha, and others.
Some of the affected individuals include Kshetra Bahadur Bhandari, Rabin Oli, Binod Sarki, Kisan Puri, Krishna Jaisi, Meghendra Pariyar, Deepak Bohora, Suresh Bohora, Prem Bahadur Nepali, Ramhari Tharu, Lok Bahadur Rana, Laxman Sunar, Ramit Khadka, Rooplal Gharti, Dil Bahadur Tharu, Rajendra Yadavi, MD Nausad Khan, Dilip Kumar Oli, Ganesh Saud, Saroj Ahmed Khan, Santosh Kumar Shrestha, Dharmendra Malla, Sagar Kushwar, Bijendra Dhwaj Pakhrin, Samir Tamang, Manoj Thakur, Hira Bahadur Mahara, Tej Bahadur Dangi, Rit Bahadur Vishwakarma, among others.