Kathmandu, December 18:

Various organisations involved in advocating safe migration and protection of right of migrant workers today asked the government to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families-1989.

The National Network on Safe Migration (NNSM), an alliance of 35 different organisations working on safe migration to advocate for the rights and protection of migrant workers, today organised a rally to mark the 17th International Migrant’s Day.

According to NNSM president Ganesh Gurung, the rally was organised as a part of 15-day long programme to raise awareness on the rights of migrants and highlight their contribution in socio-economic development of the country.

The number of Nepali migrant workers is estimated to be about two million and recently women have also started opting for foreign employment. According to a study by UNIFEM and Nepal Institute for Development Studies (NIDS), there are about 70,000 Nepali women migrant workers working in various foreign lands.

Annually, Nepal receives about Rs 100 billion as remittances, and the contributions of women migrants make up to about 11 per cent to this figure.

NNSM also submitted a memorandum to the government through minister Ramesh Lekhak and put forward a number of demands including ratification of 1989 UN Convention on Migrant Workers. They have asked the government to make special provisions to protect the rights of migrant workers, especially women migrant workers, who become vulnerable in the process due to their biological and gender makeup. They have asked to set up embassies and consulates with labour attachés in the countries, where there are concentration of Nepali migrant workers and where they are more vulnerable.

On the occasion, Saru Joshi Shrestha, UNIFEM Nepal Programme Coordinator and Hansraj Wagley, general secretary of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), also expressed their views.