Contents

1 Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2
3 Research Aims and Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 4
4 Research Questions ...................................................................................................................................... 5
5 Research Design and Methodology .............................................................................................................. 5
Abstract
Migration for work is a more recent phenomenon for women than men in developing countries where the trend of
“feminization of migration” is already evident. Female migrants constitute almost half of all migrants in Nepal.
Poor economic growth and limited employment opportunities in the country have made foreign employment a
forced choice for many. Still, limited attention has been paid to women as migrants especially covering Nepalese
women migration. Nepali female labor migrants work in countries such as Malaysia, Qatar, the United Arab
Emirates and Kuwait, primarily as domestic workers and caregivers. Kuwait is a destination where women are
forced to work in miserable conditions including non-payment of wages, long working hours without rest,
deprivation of food, threats, physical and sexual abuse to the limit of prostitution. Nepal has been sending women
to Kuwait since 2011 enforcing strict criteria. The criteria have been designed to safeguard Nepali women working
in the domestic sector. However, illegal migration of nearly 20/30 Nepali women every day has been rampant for
the last six to seven years and the trend is continuing. Nepalese women are forced into foreign employment in
Kuwait by the promise of opportunities that do not exist for them in Nepal. Due to this, several migrated Nepalese
women are left behind in the society, no tie-up with social cohesion, losing livelihood, family life and have no life
progression. Therefore, this study will investigate the impact of Nepalese female migration on their livelihood and
change of the level of social cohesion as a result of migration using qualitative research method along with
attachment theory. Following multi-sited ethnography, this research will conduct in-depth interviews with two
hundred migrated females and their families in Nepal and Kuwait covering period from 2005 to 2017.

1 Introduction
Current migration trends since last decade show the rise in a number of female workers, such
number now constitute half of all the migrants worldwide (Bhadra Chandra, 2008). In some
countries, female migrants workers outnumber the male migrant workers (D’Cunha, 2005).
Globalization has perceived the world as a single Market, due to such the mobility of labors into
global market is on the rising. Migration is a natural phenomenon.

The history of migration for foreign employment in Nepal can be traced back to 200 years ago
but was actually formalized in 1985, after the introduction of foreign Employment act.(UN
Women, 2015) Poor economic growth and limited employment opportunities in the country have
made foreign employment a forced choice for many. The social jinx has been broken, and these
days certain trends have emerged in the migration. Migrating population these days are better
educated these days than compared to past including female who have migrated to foreign
countries with a dream to provide more resilience to their financial status. After decades of male
domination and being a part of patriarchal society, female in Nepal has broken the gender
restriction imposed upon their mobility. Poverty has been portrayed as the root of all the
problems in regards to migration. Such migration has distanced the child from a mother,
burdened daughters and/or sister with household chores and childcare, which alongside has
resulted in early dropout in the schools. The vicious circle will then follow the siblings to come.
Working away from home although can be financially useful, it is more a stress and huge loss to
be compensated to those left behind in the country of origin.(Women Across Frontiers, 2016).
Even being aware of exploitive and abusive behavior in the Gulf countries, informal channels
are active enough to trade female into such countries, after the government imposed strict
regulations and criteria for migration in gulf countries. Not only the social values, norms,
tradition but social costs, gender discrimination, social rehabilitation upon return entitle females
to be left out of the society.

Nepal is a poor country, has limited economic resources for investment, as a result, many male
and female migrate in search of work in the foreign land. In recent years, Nepalese female
alongside male has also begun seeking opportunities for foreign employment (Sijapati, 2015),
mainly to ease poverty at home (Limbu, 2014). Records of Central Bureau of Statistics gives an
insight into the raising tendency of female migrants. The number of female migrants reached
1345142 in 2015 while it was just 69452 in 200 A.D, which is expected to reach 3456291 by
2030.(Centre Bureau of Statistics, 2015). According to the status report of Nepal regarding labor
migration for employment , Ministry of Labor and Foreign Employment the top-ten destinations
for female labour migrants form 2008/09 till 2014/15, were United Arab Emirates (25,916
permits issued), Malaysia (23,427 permits issued), Kuwait (17,685 permits issued), Qatar (6,179
permits issued), Lebanon (4,164 permits issued), Cyprus (2,871 permits issued), Saudi Arabia
(2,646 permits issued), Oman (2,538 permits issued), Republic of Korea (2,241 permits issued)
and Bahrain (1,848 permits issued) (MOLE, 2016). Each year, nearly 1,000 Nepalese female
travel to the Kuwait for temporary work as a cleaner, domestic worker or career, where abuses
are high, harms are commonplace and severe, and access to justice is limited (DOFE, 2017). Due
to this, several migrated Nepalese women are left behind from the society, no tie-up with social
cohesion, losing livelihood, family life, and no life progression.

Adjustment to the culture has been a challenge for Nepali female migrants in Kuwait. Adopting
to the way of life including safe and healthy lifestyle is a far cry for them. (Bastia, 2013). A
study of Middle Eastern immigrants from Asia (Gardner, 2011) has found that Nepalese female
workers are exposed to higher risk of mental illness due to the worst working condition. A
statistical report from an organization working for the rights of migrant worker estimated 2,247
housemaids have required rescue by Kuwait's Nepali embassy since 2010.(Migrant Rights, 2018)
. 90% of all Kuwaiti households employ a foreign domestic worker. over 620,000 migrant
domestic workers in Kuwait, accounting for over 21.9% of the country's total
employment.(Migrant Rights, 2018). In 2014, a shelter in Kuwait housed 300 Nepali women
labor migrants awaiting repatriation to Nepal after their employment situations had become
volatile.(Al Jazeera, 2014) . About 57,774 Nepali women have reached Kuwait in the last two
decades. Currently, 60,000 Nepalis are believed to be working in the Gulf nation and among
them, 90 percent are domestic workers. 56% of all suicides. in Kuwait in 2013 were committed
by domestic workers. 81% of all suicide cases involved South Asian migrant, and the other 19%
were African migrants. 75% committed suicide by hanging, 12.5% by pesticide and 12.5% by
jumping off a building.(Migrant Rights, 2018). About 22 percent Nepali women migrants have
faced exploitation and two percent of them have suffered from sexual exploitation. Every year,
about a dozen Nepali women commit suicide in Kuwait following exploitation and
torture. (Center for the study of labor and Mobility,2018).

During the decade-long insurgency in Nepal, remittances by migrant workers was a major part of
country's economy. Nepal living standard survey by central bureau of statistics in 2015 presented
16 percent of total remittance was the contribution of the female workers. Approximately NRS
100 billion is contributed annually by the female workers abroad. (Adhikari et al.2011)
According to the report from world bank, migration trend is rising due to poverty in Nepal.
World Bank, 2011). Majority of female workers migrating to the Gulf countries are compelled to
work as domestic maids and caregivers, it is mainly due to illiteracy and language
constraints.(Roper, 2008). Gender has been a determining factor for work, due to discrimination
based on gender, female workers are exposed to risk, abuse and violence from the source nation
to the transit nations and the nation of employment (Paoletti et al. 2014). Such situation has
added challenges to the Nepalese migrant female.

At current, an absence of a contract between the employer and employee is a major concern for
all. Many a time there is no agreement or absence of legal document signed between the
employer and employee (Adhikari et al, 2011) Absence of legal agreement has put the workers
in the faith of employers. The absence of legal contract will expose the workers to more
vulnerabilities and nullifies the chances of taking a legal action in case of need, also in many
cases where the contract exists, it is signed by intermediaries without consulting the worker
which legally binds the employee to employer, without the information of the worker. (Adhikari
et al, 2011). Many a time, recruitment agencies also substitute the contracts drawn at the
destination nation with the one with different terms and conditions (Sijapati and Bajracharya,
2012). This situation has created more vulnerabilities and trapped the literate and qualified
workers, let alone the illiterate and unskilled manpower.

Thus, Study will investigate the effect of migration on livelihood and social cohesion of female
migrant workers during their stay at the destination and upon their arrival at home.

2 Research Aims and Objectives

Although the usefulness of a gender approach which studies both men and women relationally is
appreciated, this study will focus on women alone. In order to address the issues above, we have
introduced following research objectives.

 To investigate the impact of Nepalese female migration on Social Cohesion.

 To find out the impact of Nepalese female migration into their livelihood.
 To identify abuses and labor violations experienced by Nepali female migrant workers in
Kuwait.
 To find out the ways in which Nepalese women participate in the migratory processes.
  To identify the factors that Influence Nepalese female migration.

3 Research Questions
In order to support our aims and objectives, we have prepared following research questions.
Q1.What are the factors that influence Nepalese Female into Migration?
Q2. How does Nepalese Female participate in migration process?
Q3. What are the impacts of Nepalese Female Migration into Social Cohesion?
Q4. What sort of abuses and labor violations can Nepalese Female Migrant worker experience in
Kuwait?
Q5. What are the impacts of female migration on their livelihood?
Q6. How does migration affect social cohesion of the migrant female workers?

4 Research Design and Methodology

Recognising emerging migrant women's transnational patterns of life (cf. Buijs, 1996; Westwood
and Phizacklea, 2000; George, 2005), this study will focus on biographical narrative interviews
with Nepali female migrants.

According to a status report of Labor Migration for Employment Nepal (2014/15), ten districts of
Nepal, Jhapa, Sindhupalchowk, Morang, Makwanpur, Kathmandu, Sunsari, Kavrepalanchowk,
Nuwakot, Illam, and Chitwan, were the top ten female migrant worker sending districts (MOLE,
2016). Therefore, we will be conducting a total of 200 interviews in Nepal as well as in Kuwait.
In Nepal, we will conduct 100 interviews with the families of that female who returned from
Kuwait covering those ten highest female migrated district. Subsequently, another set of
interviews will be done in Kuwait covering 100 Nepalese female migrants working in Kuwait. In
order to complete interviews, this research will receive a support from Non-Resident Nepalese
Association (NRNA), Kuwait. NRNA, Kuwait will provide the information of 100 women who
are already in Kuwait as a temporary worker. Focusing on qualitative data, respond to the calls
have recently been made to study the human agency of migrants, which is lacking in
quantitative-based studies of migration (Smith, 2004). Data will be drawn from 10 biographical
(10 districts of Nepal) interviews with female migrants who have migrated to Kuwait in the last
15 years.
The respondents will be female between 18 to 48 years of age and have experienced migration,
and migrated to Kuwait. The respondents will be from various socio-economic and educational
or non-educational backgrounds, different geopolitical contexts, alongside living and working in
different social situations. Most of the interviews conducted in Nepal and Kuwait will be in the
Nepali Language. The possibility of using a translator will be offered if necessary. Based on this
qualitative empirical material, the research will be able to point various transnational migratory
experiences of migrated Nepalese female and utilize individual experiences as grounds for
proposals for policy change that would benefit both the migrants and the receiving society. The
narratives will help us understand the migrants' transnational family ties and their livelihood, life
progression, and social cohesion. Using the life stories of female migrants thus will be able to
address the transnational situations and experiences with the family life of migrated women, their
livelihood and social cohesion which support our aims and objectives.

5 Ethical Consideration and Potential Challenges

The researcher will endeavor to protect anonymity, confidentiality and thereby minimize the
possibility of intrusion into the autonomy of study participants by all means. For highly sensitive
issues, vulnerable individuals will have a company of her choice, who can be present during
initial phases of the study, and ideally, during data gathering sessions and will be interviewed by
a female employed (recruited for the purpose) by the researcher. An informed consent form will
be provided and duly taken before the interview . To avoid any shortcomings in the research
gender issues will be taken into consideration and all the interviews with females will be taken
by females on behalf of the researcher, with no compromise on the anonymity of the respondent.

The legal provisions and employer's ban on employee could be a challenge of great height for the
research during data collection of female workers in Kuwait, for such help of NRNA, Kuwait
and Nepalese embassy in Kuwait will be sought.