Nepal lifts ban on exporting maids to UAE

If everything goes well Nepalese housemaids and nannies will be able to work in the UAE in about two months after their embassy puts certain safeguards and guidelines in place, The National newspaper reports.

Nepal, which had last week lifted a 10-year ban on allowing its women to work as housemaids in the Gulf countries, is currently working to ensure the women are treated well before putting the official stamp to clear them for travel.

The Himayalan country had banned its women from taking up jobs as housemaids in the Gulf countries following several cases of sexual abuse, physically harassment and non-payment of wages. However, some women still manage to get into the GCC states via third countries.
With the ban being lifted, Nepalese women will be able to exit from Kathmandu to the UAE gateways.

The report quoted Dipak Adhikari, deputy chief of mission at the Nepalese Embassy in Abu Dhabi as saying: "We will recommend a minimum wage and stipulate working hours to our government after reviewing steps adopted by other countries."

"We will also look at the option of providing medical insurance for workers," he added.Similar reviews are currently on in other GCC states.

Faced with similar issues, some Asian countries have tightened their regulations to allow women to work as domestic helps in the Gulf region. While Sri Lanka has set a minimum wage limit for housemaids at $250, India set $300 and Philippines $400 as the minimum salary for their nationals brought to the UAE as domestic workers.

The UAE had enforced a unified contract for domestic workers in 2007 with provisions for a month’s annual break, medical care and timely salaries. The departments of naturalisation and residency in the various emirates had set up special units to handle disputes.

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