“Meanwhile in the Gulf, it is the South Asian migrant workers who have built the futuristic towers of Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Abraj Al-Bait in Mecca; it is they who have erected the glittering metropolises of Dubai and Doha. But they are made to work under harsh conditions; many of them are underpaid or have to work for long hours without overtime pay. Women migrant workers from this region have been contributing to the empowerment of women in Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries by taking care of their prescribed gender roles as domestic workers in their homes, thus enabling them to pursue higher careers in their societies and uplifting the socio-economic status of their families.

And yet, their enormous contributions both at home and abroad are not adequately recognised or welcomed. Their pain and pleas are not acknowledged. They continue to get beaten, abused, and kept in captivity, made to work in unsafe conditions and even tortured or sold into slavery. As a result, a country like Nepal receives an average of three dead bodies per day. Similar instances are witnessed in other South Asian countries.”

Kathmandu Post