Nepalis in Kuwait

Nepalis in Kuwait

Total population
40,000
Regions with significant populations
Kuwait City
Languages
Nepali · Eastern Arabic
Religion
Hinduism · Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Nepali people

Nepalis in Kuwait consist mainly of migrants from Nepal to Kuwait, mostly migrant workers and domestic maids. A growing number of Nepalese workers are joining the hundreds of thousands of other South Asian expatriates in the oil-rich Gulf state as they are promised high monthly wages by recruiters in Nepal.^[1] More than 33,000 of around 40,000 Nepalis working in Kuwait are domestic helpers and most of them are working as house maids.^[2]

Social Issues

Dozens of Nepalese men are being cheated out of their wages by employers in Kuwait, despite laws designed to protect them. Many of them can barely survive on what they are paid once they get to Kuwait.

For Nepalese women, working in Kuwait can be even more hazardous than for the men. Due to past cases of abuse, the Nepalese government forbids them from working there as housemaids. While many succeed in earning the high salaries of their dreams, many more fall victim to physical and sexual abuse. Many of these women show up at the Nepalese embassy in Kuwait bearing clear signs of sexual assault, claiming that their former employers owe them payment, and describing inhumane and illegal working conditions. ^[3] However, despite the frequency of these claims, families are rarely investigated by the authorities. More often than not, the women are simply sent back to Nepal, where the cycle of trafficking can begin again.

See Also

• Hinduism in Kuwait
• Buddhism in Kuwait

References

1. ^ BBC News - World: Middle East - Nepalese workers suffer in Kuwait
2. ^ Republica - Over 300 Nepali brokers active in Kuwait
3. ^ Nepali Domestic Workers Enslaved in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia