Forced labour

ILO-DFID Partnership Programme on Fair Recruitment and Decent Work for Women Migrant Workers in South Asia and the Middle East - NEPAL

The Programme, known as “Work in Freedom”, aims to prevent trafficking of women and girls from Bangladesh, India and Nepal as migrant workers in major destination countries (India, Jordan, and Lebanon). It will empower women and girls economically and socially, ensuring decent work conditions and better wages at both origin and destination countries.

Programme strategy

The Programme is aiming to reach about 100,000 women to prevent them from being trafficked implementing a number of interventions in both, origin and destination countries of migrant workers.

In Nepal, the Programme implementation is supported by a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Labour and Employment in early 2014 aims to build the ownership of the government for sustaining and upscaling the initiatives taken by the Programme. The Programme has targeted to reach about 40,000 women in Nepal by providing safe migration information, orientation and training at the community level. In line with the orientation of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Programme is implemented in five priority districts (Rupandehi, Chitwan, Morang, Ilam, and Dolakha) through implementing partners including local governments. The Programme interventions are designed to contribute to women empowerment while enabling them to take informed decisions on labour migration.

Likewise, the Programme is working at the national level with the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB), recruitment agencies and the Ministry of Labour and Employment to improve recruitment practices and review national laws and policies related to labour migration, as well as promoting its enforcement.

Regions and countries covered

  • Middle East: Lebanon and Jordan
  • South Asia: Nepal, India, and Bangladesh

Programme objective and outcomes

Reduced incidence of trafficking of women and girls within and from India, Bangladesh and Nepal, into the domestic and garment sectors, through economic, social, and legal empowerment

Outcome 1: Potential women migrant workers and their families have increased knowledge and awareness, information and skills that will help them make informed decisions on migration

Outcome 2: Recruitment agencies adopt recruitment practices based on international standards and are subject to improved monitoring and enforcement

Outcome 3: Women migrant workers in domestic work and garment sectors enjoy better collective representation and support services and employers have greater knowledge of workers' rights

Outcome 4: Policy makers have knowledge on legal and policy reform processes to better protect migrant workers' rights

Outcome 5: New and better evidence is available on labour trafficking of women & girls within and from South Asia and on effective preventive measures

Key partners

The Ministry of Labour and Employment is the key partner for implementation of the Programme as it is a part of the Ministry's programme reflected in the National Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance. The other implementing partners are as follows:

National implementing partners

  • Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Government /District Development Committees of five project Districts
  • Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB)
  • Civil Society Organizations
  • Trade Unions
  • Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies

Global implementing partners

  • Global Action Against Traffic in Women (GAATW)
  • Ciett/ International Human Rights Business/ Verite

Target groups

  • Potential Women Migrant Workers and returnee women
  • Women migrant workers in domestic work and garment sector in Lebanon and Jordan
  • Recruitment Agencies
  • Government Officials
  • Key stakeholders at national level

For further information please contact:

Ms Bharati Sharma Pokharel National Project Coordinator
Tel.: +977.1.5555777 (Ext. 106)
Email