UAE, FEBRUARY 14
In recent times, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has increasingly become a transit point for human traffickers, exploiting the vulnerabilities of Nepali migrants seeking better opportunities abroad. Due to the easy accessibility of visit visas, many find themselves face to face with deception and exploitation.
Tej Bahadur Chhetri, the Nepali ambassador to the UAE, raises concern over the growing trend of human trafficking through the UAE. Nepali migrants, lured by promises of reaching destinations like America and Europe, often find themselves stranded in the UAE after arriving on visit visas.
One such case is that of Ammardatta Paneru, who paid a hefty sum to a broker, only to find himself living illegally in Dubai for the last three months. He had arrived in Dubai on a 2-months visit visa. He said that he paid Rs 8 million to the broker for his travel to USA. Now, he's waiting with no clear idea of what's next. Dubai is just one of the many transit points on his journey to reach the USA.
According to reports, thousands of Nepalis, like Ammardatta, find themselves stranded in the streets of the UAE, victims of unscrupulous brokers promising passage to distant lands.
Rajendra Thapa, a businessman in the UAE, sheds light on the grim reality, revealing how desperate migrants are often misled into illegal routes, risking their lives and savings for a chance at a better future. According to Thapa, the individuals who pay over Rs 7.5 million are promised passage to European countries or Nicaragua via charter planes from Dubai, while those with lesser means are smuggled through treacherous routes via Panama to Mexico, before entering US illegally. They face perilous journeys in between through countries like Brazil, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Guyana.
For Nepali women, the situation is even graver, with reports of trafficking to neighboring Gulf countries like Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, easily accessible by road from the UAE. Din Bandu Subedi, labor counselor at the Nepali Embassy in the UAE, highlights the harrowing experiences of those trafficked, often held captive for years.
Subedi stresses the urgent need for stricter regulations on visit visas to curb such exploitation. Rajendra Thapa urges the necessity for state monitoring of the 600,000 Nepalis residing in the UAE.
According to Ambassador Chhetri, thousands of Nepali travel to UAE on visit visas every year, with 250,000 recorded in 2022 alone, many of whom now living illegally in the UAE.
Nepalis in the UAE in visit visas face a myriad of challenges, from employment difficulties due to their undocumented status to the lack of access to healthcare and insurance, leaving them vulnerable in times of illness or accidents.
Chhetri urges the government intervention, proposing training programs and public awareness campaigns in Nepali villages to educate prospective migrants about the risks of foreign employment.
(Transl., Ed.: Sandeep Sen)
