Nepal has lifted its yearlong ban on citizens working as housemaids in the UAE.
However, UAE residents must comply with new rules on recruitment of domestic help, The National reported.
Nepal banned its citizens from moving to work abroad as housemaids last July following reports of exploitation and harassment.
And, before the ban, only women aged over 30 were permitted to seek overseas employment as housemaids
In an interview with The National, Nepalese ambassador to the UAE Dhananjay Jha said the government has lifted the ban and reduced the age restriction from 30 to 20.
However, he added that UAE residents wishing to hire a Nepalese maid would have to recruit via an agency rather than by contacting the Nepalese embassy directly.
Said Jha: “From now on, only registered recruitment agencies with the mission can process domestic helpers’ documents and the embassy directly will not accept any such applications.”
Under the new plans, employment documents will be processed by registered agencies, which will then submit them to the embassy for final approval.
“In such a scenario, if any exploitation happens to the maid, or her rights are ignored, the recruiting agency will be responsible for this.”
Jha revealed that the ban was lifted around six weeks ago but many people in the UAE and Nepal are unaware of the change in policy.
He said he hoped it would cut instances of abuse within the industry. In recent years, housemaids were often recruited through illegal channels – receiving foreign visas to work as cleaners or in other roles and then later being roped in to work as live-in housemaids.
“[Using] such means to work abroad is landing them in problem situations,” Jha said.
Details of the new arrangements are to be published on the embassy’s website shortly, The National reported.
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