Kathmandu, November 25:

The latest study into the lot of the women displaced from the garment industry after termination of quota in 2005 has called on the government to evolve public sector enterprises as “model employers” and set an example for private sector employers.

The study has recommended the government to mobilise resources to create a conducive work environment for the displaced women.

The study entitled ‘Women Workers’ Vulnerability to HIV after the Phase out of Textile and Clothing Quotas’ was commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Asia Pacific Regional Centre, Colombo.

The report, which is being fine-tuned, is based on a study conducted to assess the lot of the migrant women workers, who were once employed in the garment industry, but have been out of worker since 2005.

The study has pointed out how around 21,450 women working in garment factories lost their jobs and drifted into dance bars, massage parlours and cabin restaurants and were exposed to sexual abuse and the risk of HIV infection.

“A large number of women have been migrating to Kathmandu from rural areas in search of work in garment units. There are still a large number of women who have not yet found an alternative,” the report says, stressing the need to reintegrate them for economic development of the country.

Lamenting the existing scenario, the report recommends that all stakeholders, including the international community, the government, the civil society and the private sector, be involved in ameliorating the women’s plight and providing job opportunities to them.