Promoting the Rights of the Migrant Workers from Nepal
Description
Nearly 42 percent of Nepal’s 26 million population live below the poverty line. Due to social and economic reasons, a large number of workers are migrating within the country and across borders in search of a better life. Most migrant workers are vulnerable to humiliation, abuse, violence, exploitation due to lack of awareness about trade union and human rights. More than 1000 Nepalese are migrating daily to work abroad including Malaysia. Approximately three million Nepalese work abroad, excluding those in India. Most migrate through formal agents, however, many use irregular channels. The project aims to contribute in reducing vulnerability of Nepali workers and attempt to ensure safe, decent and productive migration to Malaysia – by building awareness on migrant workers rights, ensuring decent working conditions, and establishing coordination/cooperation with Malaysian unions to organise Nepalese workers to form and join unions and become part of the GEFONT Support Groups in Malaysia. It also aims to provide legal support to migrants through GEFONT Migrant Desk in Malaysia and Nepal. Likewise, returnee migrant workers shall be organized in Nepal by GEFONT.
Objectives
• Awareness building on migrant workers right
• Ensure the decent working condition in Malaysia
• Inform potential Migrant workers in Nepal about the migration process.
• Enhance the coordination/cooperation with MTUC and other Trade unions in Malaysia .
• Organise Nepalese migrant workers into GEFONT Support Group
• Organise Nepalese women migrant workers in GEFONT Support Group
• Legal support to Nepali migrant workers
• Organizing returnee migrant workers in Nepal
Type of activities
• Publication of informative booklets on Migrant Workers Rights
• Organising migrant workers in Malaysia
• Training and Education on:leadership development ; awareness on migrant workers rights & safe migration ; Paralegal Training ;
• Committee formation with the aim of raising issue collectively
• National level Interaction on migrant workers issue
• Celebration of International Migrant Day
• Establish information and counseling centre (Migrants Desk)
• Legal support
• National & International lobbying
• Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Workshops
• Organising returnee migrant workers in Nepal