Nepal: National human rights body report says poor gov't action on repatriation has exacerbated situation for thousands of migrant workers
Autor/in: Chandan Kumar Mandal, The Kathmandu Post, Veröffentlicht am: 13 August 2020
"Rights watchdog comes down on government over migrant repatriation", 14 August 2020
...The government of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has come under a barrage of criticism over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic at home. It has fared no better when it comes to repatriation of tens of thousands of migrant workers stranded in various labour destinations for months now.
Months of indecision and poor preparations on the part of the government have exacerbated the situation of Nepali migrant workers, who were already suffering after losing their jobs due to the pandemic.
The National Human Rights Commission, Nepal, has raised serious concerns over the situation of Nepal’s migrant workers awaiting government help to return home.
The clear lack of preparations to bring home stranded Nepali migrant workers in the early months of the pandemic has made the situation worse as the number of people who need to be repatriated is increasing, the rights body said...
A large number of Nepali workers are stranded in various countries that have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of them are struggling to survive after their employers have not only stopped paying them but have also refused to fund their air tickets to return home. These cannot afford for repatriation chartered flights.
According to the government, 50,130 Nepalis from 30 countries have returned home since the lockdown was enforced on March 24...