As Nepali migrant workers encounter many risks of exploitation both within the recruitment process and later on during all the employment phases, IOM is often requested by the Government of Nepal and NGOs to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to vulnerable migrants in need. In this context, IOM implemented a two year project entitled ‘Return Assistance to Stranded Nepali Migrants’ from 2015 – 2018 with funding support by the Qatar Development Fund that provided voluntary return and reintegration assistance to the vulnerable, stranded and exploited Nepali migrant workers in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Malaysia.

Adopting migrant-sensitive and rights based approaches that ensure their willingness to return, while offering humanitarian assistance, reception and other supports i.e. fulfillment of basic needs and access to livelihood opportunities that will encourage sustainable reintegration in Nepal, the project provided voluntary return and reintegration assistance to migrant workers in the following situations:

  • Victim of abuse, exploitation, trafficking, or being stranded at the destination;
  • No possibility to regularize their status in the country where they reside;
  • Unable to have access to assistance in the destination;
  • Without enough money to pay their way home; without documentation needed to move to another country

The reintegration assistance has further helped the project beneficiaries to sustainably reintegrate back into their local community as majority of the returnee beneficiaries have utilized their reintegration support for setting up agro-based/livestock farming business, setting up small grocery shop, tea shop and tailoring shop.

The Project was implemented in close coordination and partnership with the line Ministries i.e. the Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoLE), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the IOM host Missions and the local NGOs who are engaged in working towards benefit of migrants in need.