E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, AUG 21 -

Unaware of the reality and bitter experiences in store for them, thousands of Nepali women migrate every year to the Arab countries on illegal documents to seek a better livelihood. The recent case of Shanti Maya Dong is an example of the grim reality and challenges that Nepali women have to face in such circumstances.

Dong, 24, a resident of Sukura VDC-2 in Makwanpur district lay in a coma for five years at Florina Hospital in Kuwait. She was brought to Kathmandu on Aug 4 this year and has been admitted to Patan Hospital for further treatment. She went out of her family’s contact a year after she went to Kuwait. Her family came to know about her condition some years later. Dong, who fell from a terrace in Kuwait, is currently undergoing physiotherapy. Her family says her treatment is being supported financially by the NRNs (Non-resident Nepalis) in Kuwait.

Manju Gurung, chairperson of Pourakhi Nepal, said, “The government is not taking Dong’s issue seriously; she needs proper care and financial support but that is not happening.

Her health is deteriorating by the day; she is suffering from serious neurological disorder.”

Dong was persuaded by her uncle Pratiman Rumba and aunt Gopi Maya Dong to drop her studies. They then made illegal documents and sent her to Kuwait six years ago to work as a domestic help. Dong’s maternal uncle Chandra Tamang said, “She was

forced by Pratiman and Gopi Maya to migrate illegally. We asked for their help but they threatened us following media reports on their involvement in sending Dong abroad through fake documents.”

The impoverished Dong family is seeking support from the government to save her life. The members of Pourakhi-Nepal are urging the government to implement strict rules and categories for the manpower companies and those who want to migrate. Pourakhi-Nepal plans to pressurise the Ministry of Health and Population and the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) for more support.

However, the government has said that it cannot extend financial help to Dong as she does not possess valid documents. According to Foreign Employment Promotion Board Executive Director Sthaneshwor Devkota, the government doesn’t provide any financial assistance to those who travel on fake documents.However, he clarified that the government has  already spent Rs 295,000 in her case.

Posted on: 2011-08-21 09:46

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