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No-cost, or low-cost, labour migration is not just a dream
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Khakendra Khatri paid 7 lakh or 700,000 Nepali rupees (about 5,000 USD) for a job in Russia, but soon after arriving he realized that he was being sent to the front line of the Russia-Ukraine war. Desperate, he bribed a commander, and then escaped by walking through a forest overnight with a group of other trafficked Nepalis.
Needing work to feed her children, Sushma found a recruiter to send her to join her aunt working in Kuwait but got sick and returned to Nepal after three months. The recruiter’s calls began soon after she returned, demanding that she pay him more than 3 lakh. Both Khakendra and Sushma filed reports with police, and they, and their families, are now deep in debt.
Welcome to Nepal Now: On the Move. My name is Marty Logan. This is the podcast that talks to some of the hundreds of thousands of people migrating from — and sometimes to — this small country surrounded by global giants China and India. Months later we reach out again to find out if reality in their new, temporary, home is meeting expectations. Occasionally we call in an expert to try and better understand all of this movement.
The stories of Khakendra and Sushma, which you might remember from earlier episodes, make the idea of ‘fee-free’ migration sound like a dream. But it’s not. Today we're speaking with Upasana Khadka, a migration expert who is working on both no-cost and low-cost migration, which do both actually happen.
This chat opened my eyes to how labour migration from Nepal is intertwined with global events, such as criticism of forced labour in countries including Malaysia. Upasana, who founded Migration Lab in Kathmandu, also highlights what is becoming a theme in this podcast: the positive aspects of migration.
Thanks again to Upasana Khadka for coming on the show.
Resources
Tricked into going to Russia, Khakendra fled before reaching the front lines
Three months in Kuwait: The story of migrant worker Sushma
Other Upasana Khadka articles in Nepali Times
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Music by audionautix.com.
Thank you to PEI in Bankhundole and Himal Media in Patan Dhoka for the use of their studio.
Nepal Now is produced and hosted by Marty Logan.
Chapters
1. No-cost, or low-cost, labour migration is not just a dream (00:00:00)
2. Khadak Singh migrates again – this time at no cost (00:04:05)
3. There's employers & recruiters, but usually the worker pays (00:07:01)
4. Some employers are ethical, but scrutiny plays a role (00:12:31)
5. How the UK seasonal scheme scandal could have gone (00:18:31)
6. An opportunity not a compulsion (00:24:20)
101 episodes
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