10 Aug 2012

Ban by Nepal on women working in Middle East

4:39 am on 10 August 2012

The government in Nepal is banning women under the age of 30 from going to work in Middle Eastern countries.

There have been growing concerns about the exploitation of young women employed there.

The BBC reports common complaints include physical and sexual abuse, poor conditions and non-payment of salaries.

Every day, an estimated 1000 people leave Nepal for the Middle East for jobs as housemaids. It is estimated that there are as many as 200,000 Nepalese women working there unofficially.

The government ended a ban on women working in Gulf countries 18 months ago. Women from Nepal have been allowed to go to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar since 2010.

Indonesia imposed a ban last year on women working in domestic service in the Middle East.

In June, Kenya also announced a ban on men and women working in domestic service in Middle Eastern countries.