Exploitation of Nepali workers in Saudi Arabia

Nepali workers face great hardships and exploitation whilst working in the Saudi Mainland. The ‘Kafala’ System, the state’s visa sponsorship system, dictates that the workers aren't allowed to leave or enter the country without express permission from their sponsors. Hence, due to the system, the workers at times are forced to stay in Saudi Arabia for years on end.

An important migrant destination for remittance workers in the Nepali workforce, the harsh conditions of the gulf land poses a unique challenge to workers physically and now systemically.

The workers who are tempted to flee this system, or have already attempted to flee it, face countless legal and social problems once apprehended. As per the Nepali Embassy in Riyadh, the workers in the nation are scammed by their Nepali workers to work illegally for them promising more pay and better regulations. The workers use fake names, fake numbers forging their identities within the country.

Discouraging such acts within the country, the Embassy further went on to clarify that such acts and the act of fleeing was illegal and would be judged as a crime if caught.

This has led to growing skepticism and mistrust in the way employers in Saudi Arabia view Nepalese. Saudi officials have requested the Nepalese embassy to warn the workers to discourage them from leaving without the approval of their company.

The embassy has warned everyone not to engage in such criminal activities, stating that the authorities are searching for those involved in the crime of fleeing the country in the form of human trafficking. The embassy has requested that anyone who knows of such activities to come forth with their information at the nearest police station or at the Nepalese embassy.

With the Saudi Government prohibiting healthcare for any illegal and unauthorized workers, these Nepali workers live life precariously. In case of death, these illegal workers aren’t taken with even their bodies not being returned to their family back home in Nepal.