Impacts of COVID-19 on Wives of Nepali Migrants and Future Foreign Employment Decision-making

With over 55% of households having labour migrants and over 25% of the GDP attributable to migrants’ remittance, migration plays an important role in economic development of Nepal but also in overall well-being of the Nepali households. While there have been considerable studies on the impact of migration both from social and economic perspectives, little is known about how migrants and their house-holds make decisions to migrate. Moreover, there is limited research on how crisis in destination countries affect migration decision-making among migrants and their left-behind household members.  This article discusses the experience of migrants’ wives during the pandemic in relation to their husband’s migration, alternative livelihood experience of migrants (returnees, those on a holiday and aspiring migrants) in the home country, impacts of COVID-19 ban on aspiring migrants, and aspiring migrants and their wives’ perspectives towards future foreign employment. 

In Between Escapade and Peril: The Impact of COVID-19 on Nepali Returnees and Their Families

The outbreak of COVID-19 has damaged the world economy, resulting in the termination of thousands of jobs which affects migrants and their families who have both economic and other investments in migration. This article explores the experiences and challenges of Nepali migrant workers who returned from Malaysia and their wives who were left behind when they originally migrated.​
 
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Representation of intermediaries in print media in Nepal:
a case study from Nov 2018 to Mar 2020


​Print media often shapes the perceptions of everyday people towards certain actors and so is an important factor in forming ‘discourses’ and shaping policies. However, there is a lack of analysis of how print media portrays intermediaries in Nepal. Hence in this paper we analyse the way print media has portrayed migration intermediaries. We particularly look at language, discourse and images as they are crucial factors in the production of meaning and (re)shaping the “shared meaning” of intermediaries for a larger discussion in society.
The paper is divided into three key parts. Firstly, it gives a brief background on intermediaries including explaining who “intermediaries” are as per the operational definition used in this paper. It also gives their current status in Nepal. The second part describes the methodological approach applied to gather information on representation of those actors in the print media. Finally it discusses findings on the portrayal of intermediaries. The final part is some insights into filling some gaps in ways media can facilitate factual discourse shaping of intermediaries calling for broader understanding of the actors involved in intermediaries.

Migrants and digital technologies for learning and education: recommendations for governments

Digital technologies can be a valuable means through which migrants can access diversified and relevant learning opportunities in new contexts, and four key recommendations for host countries are suggested. However, such initiatives must be crafted “with”, and not “for”, migrants. Mechanisms must also be put in place to mitigate the potential harms of such usage. 

Migration and work:
Are women’s work patterns changing in Bardiya, Nepal?

The migration of an adult household member means that the household has lost a worker. As a result of this, household composition, dynamics and division of labour are likely to change—but exactly how is often not known. The effects of migration upon women’s work back home are not immediately apparent. This study uses multiple methods to deepen an understanding of how out migration of male family members affects the livelihoods and work patterns of female family members who are left behind in Bardiya, Nepal.

Journeys on the Margins

​Journeys on the Margins is a collection of stories shared by migrant girls across Ivory Coast, Myanmar and Nepal, as well as Thai and Indian border towns. We met girls at home in their natal villages, in transit stops and rescue centres, in factories, tea shops and gold mine brothels. Some of these stories are deeply harrowing, others hopeful, but they are all moving accounts of the hidden lives of girls living and journeying at the margins of society. By listening to and learning from their experiences, we hope to identify interventions that could improve conditions for migrant girls — at departure, during transit, and upon arrival — as they seek factory work, domestic work, or refuge in a different country altogether.

Research on the Effect of Social Networks on the Kuwait Labour Market

This study compares foreign worker flows to Kuwait from Nepal (a country with a relatively small population of workers in Kuwait) with those from India (a country with a large population of workers in Kuwait). The paper discusses how  social networks might /might not influence  host country labour markets and if/how  temporary workers use social networks in different phases of their mobility and work life trajectory, what constitutes these networks, for what purposes they are used, and if/why they are preferred to formal recruitment channels. 

 Social cost of migration:
A study of impact on left-behind women and children in Nepal I

Migration for foreign employment has become an increasingly important livelihoods strategy for people both globally and in Nepal. While migration has made significant contributions to national and household economy of labour sending countries, if not given a timely attention, the social costs involved has potential to outdo the economic benefits. This report discusses the psycho-social impacts on Left-behind women and children, narratives around family breakdown and elopement of left-behind wives, protection, health and education outcomes on children.

Social cost of migration:
​A study of impact on left-behind women and children in Nepal II

While migration has made significant contributions to national and household economy of labour sending countries, if not given a timely attention, the social costs involved has potential to outdo the economic benefits. This is the second part of the report and presents the psycho-social impact of migration. 

Background Report on Pre-employment orientation in ​Abu Dhabi Dialogue Countries (ADD)

Evidences show that when managed well, labour migration has potential for positive outcomes to migrants, their families and communities as well as sending and receiving countries. In order to protect foreign workers from South and South-East Asia going to the Arabian Gulf, the Abu Dhabi Dialogue member states and international agencies have been working on the Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme (CIOP hereafter) since 2014. The CIOP, now in its second phase, intends to ensure that ADD member states are better equipped with the necessary tools and mechanisms to operationalize a CIOP management system for tailored Pre-Employment (PEO), Pre-Departure (PDO) and Post-Arrival Orientation (PAO) to address the information needs of the workers who go for foreign employment. This report presents a need assessment of PEO in the 12 study countries.

Regional guide and management system for Pre-Employment Orientation (PEO) in Abu Dhabi Dialogue Countries 

In order to help integration and protection of foreign workers from South and South-East Asia in the Arabian Gulf, the Abu Dhabi Dialogue member states and international agencies have been working under the Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme (CIOP hereafter) since 2014. As part of CIOP Phase II, the objective of this document is to provide a framework for reference for content that workers need to be oriented during the Pre-employment decision-making stage. This document proposes a Regional framework curricula for Pre-employment Orientation (PEO) for aspiring migrant workers

Final Independent Evaluation of the Work in Freedom

This report presents an independent final evaluation of the Fair Recruitment and Decent Work for Women Migrant Workers in South Asia and the Middle East (Work in Freedom – referred to as WIF in this document). WIF is an inter-regional technical cooperation programme implemented by International Labour Organization (ILO) with its partners and financed by the United Kingdom Department of International Development (DFID). The purpose of the programme is to reduce vulnerability of girls and women to trafficking and forced labour, from South Asia (Bangladesh, India and Nepal) to West Asia (Jordan and Lebanon). The programme targets women migrant workers (WMWs) in two sectors: domestic and garment work.