KATHMANDU, Feb 9: Rather than solely due to the lack of job opportunities in the home country, the existing social trend of migration has significantly encouraged more Nepalis to opt for foreign employment, a recent perception survey has revealed.
A survey conducted on 400 respondents, including returnees, migrant workers, and family members has revealed that 17 percent of them had opted for migration due to the existing social trend, second only to migration caused by the lack of job opportunities in the home country. Migration by the latter reason stands at 36 percent.
This means while 36 percent of the migration takes place due to difficulty in finding job in Nepal, 17 percent of the migration is due to observing other people migrating.
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From those who returned, a whopping 57 percent said they want to go back for better income despite many of them being exposed to the dark side of migration, such as harsh working conditions, domestic violence and abuse.
Likewise, 14 percent of those who participated in the survey said they had migrated to earn more while 10 percent mentioned earthquake-destroyed income source as their reason. Peer pressure and social pressure contributed to nine percent and six percent of the migration while political instability and other reasons shared four percent each.
The survey was conducted by the Accountability Lab, an organization seeking to promote transparency and accountability in government bodies and other areas. This is the second survey of its kind conducted by the organization.
People involved in the survey were from four districts - Dhading, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk and Kavrepalanchowk, which produce majority of the country's migrant workers destined for the Middle East and Gulf countries. Lack of transparency and weak implementation of government policies have subjected thousands of migrant workers to brutal abuse from their foreign employers.
“If the government implements the existing policies regarding migration, lots of the issues faced by our migrant workforce would be solved,” said Narayan Adhikari, country director of Accountability Lab.
