Nepalis in Saudi Arabia
Encyclopedia
Nepalis in Saudi Arabia are migrants from Nepal
to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
, mostly migrant workers and expatriates. Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the top destinations for migrant Nepalese laborers. Approximately 200,000 Nepalese laborers, skilled and semi skilled, work in the country. This number does not include 10,000 women who, despite a ban by Nepalese government, work in Saudi Arabia, mostly as household maids.
, the Kafala System
in Saudi Arabia has subjected thousands of migrant workers to be abused by their employers in ways such as non-payment of wages, forced confinement in workplace, confiscation of passports, excessive work hours with little rest, physical and sexual abuse, and forced labor including trafficking. Nepalese embassy officials in Saudi Arabia said about 70,000 to 80,000 Nepalis in the country are trapped under critical working conditions.
In March 2010, 30 Nepalese workers who were hired to work as cleaners at King Abdulaziz International Airport
went on strike over unpaid wages and poor living conditions. The workers, whose passports have been taken away by their sponsors, want to go back to Nepal after complaining of abuse.
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, mostly migrant workers and expatriates. Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the top destinations for migrant Nepalese laborers. Approximately 200,000 Nepalese laborers, skilled and semi skilled, work in the country. This number does not include 10,000 women who, despite a ban by Nepalese government, work in Saudi Arabia, mostly as household maids.
Labor issues
According to Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, the Kafala System
Kafala System
The Kafala, or Sponsorship, System is a system used to monitor the construction and domestic migrant laborers in the Arab Gulf States. The system requires all unskilled laborers to have an in-country sponsor, usually their employer, who is responsible for their visa and legal status...
in Saudi Arabia has subjected thousands of migrant workers to be abused by their employers in ways such as non-payment of wages, forced confinement in workplace, confiscation of passports, excessive work hours with little rest, physical and sexual abuse, and forced labor including trafficking. Nepalese embassy officials in Saudi Arabia said about 70,000 to 80,000 Nepalis in the country are trapped under critical working conditions.
In March 2010, 30 Nepalese workers who were hired to work as cleaners at King Abdulaziz International Airport
King Abdulaziz International Airport
King Abdulaziz International Airport is an aviation facility located 19 km to the north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the airport is Saudi Arabia's third largest air facility and busiest airport by passenger. The airport occupies an area of 15 square kilometers...
went on strike over unpaid wages and poor living conditions. The workers, whose passports have been taken away by their sponsors, want to go back to Nepal after complaining of abuse.
See Also
- Nepalis in the United Arab Emirates
- Hinduism in Saudi Arabia
- Buddhism in Saudi ArabiaBuddhism in Saudi ArabiaThe International Religious Freedom Report 2007, of U.S. Department of State, estimated that more than 8 million foreigners are living and working in Saudi Arabia, including Muslims and non-Muslims....