“Preventing Avoidable Deaths of Migrant Workers”

The number of deaths of Nepali migrant workers in the UAE in the past six months paints a grim picture of how costly foreign employment has turned out to be for Nepal. As many as 167 Nepali migrant workers lost their lives in the UAE alone in the past six months, according to the Embassy of Nepal in the UAE.

The number averages 27 deaths per month. What is troubling to note is that the number of deaths this year marks a sharp rise compared to the previous year, when the average death rate per month was 19. The growing number of untimely deaths of Nepali migrant workers is not limited to the UAE. Nepali migrant workers face the same plight in other labor destinations, mainly in the Gulf region. The ever-increasing number of deaths is no ordinary statistic but a grim tale of human tragedy that calls for an immediate and sustained government intervention…

Several factors such as extreme heat, hazardous working environment, and poor living conditions, contribute to the high number of Nepali deaths in the Gulf countries. Nepalis in the UAE in particular are losing their lives mainly due to road and workplace accidents, heart attacks and other heart-related ailments, according to the Nepali embassy…