Article Highlights
- A 36-year-old Nepali woman named Bagmati, who went to work in Kuwait, was found to have been sent on a visit visa and returned to Nepal after being rescued.
- Bagmati revealed that she was kept in a locked room in Kuwait, was given food only once every 24 hours for 18 to 19 days, found insects in her drinking water, and had her mobile phone confiscated.
- Her brother coordinated with government authorities to apprehend the agent responsible, and the office in Kuwait arranged her return ticket to Nepal, he said.
September 19, Kathmandu – “There’s a good job, don’t worry,” she was told before going to Kuwait.
Upon hearing a proposal through acquaintances from her village, she dreamed of improving her family’s financial condition by working abroad. Since relatives were also in Kuwait, she harbored more hope than fear.
However, weeks after arriving in Kuwait, that hope turned into fear. Thirty-six-year-old Bagmati (a pseudonym) has now returned to Nepal, her hopes shattered.
Recalling her days in Kuwait still terrifies her. She requested her name and address remain confidential and became emotional multiple times while recounting the pain she suffered.
“I messaged my brother begging to get me out no matter what,” she said. “At some point, I felt I wouldn’t be able to leave that place.”
This is not just a story of a journey abroad but of a woman who was lured by dreams of good employment, only to be forced to secretly seek help from her family to save herself.
The Dream of Going Abroad Begins in the Village
Bagmati was managing her family’s livelihood in her village through hard work. Her husband had already traveled to various countries. She heard about good jobs and earnings in Kuwait and grew eager to learn more about it. An agent she knew showed her the route to Kuwait.
Through the contact number provided by the agent, she got connected with another woman who said she was from Dang Deukhuri. Because of mutual acquaintances and family ties, Bagmati trusted this woman.
“My sister-in-law had worked with her, so I trusted her too,” she said.
After that, she came to Kathmandu, underwent medical examination at a private hospital in Gongabu, and was told not to pay for the medical expenses. She was also asked to leave her citizenship certificate and passport at the hospital.
“They said nothing would happen, and they would come the next day, so I trusted them and left my documents,” she recalled.
Bagmati had heard about labor permissions but was told not to worry about it.
“If I went through manpower services, it would take too long. They said they would send me easily,” she remembered. “I believed what they said.”
Within three to four days after the medical exam, she was informed her visa was ready. About a week after coming to Kathmandu, her flight was scheduled. “They sent me off saying, ‘There’s a good job, don’t worry, and your sister-in-law is there,’ so I mustered courage and went,” she said.
She left from Tribhuvan International Airport and arrived at Sharjah Airport in the UAE. There, she was kept in transit for about three hours before being flown to Kuwait. Two other women traveled with her.
However, within days of arrival, she began to realize the stark difference between the imagined and actual foreign experience.
The Beginning Was Fine, Everything Changed After 16 Days
Upon arrival in Kuwait, she was initially assigned work in one household, where she worked for about 16 days. Her duties included cleaning and ironing clothes. Though difficult, she was able to manage.
However, after 16 days, she was moved to another household.
There, about seven or eight Indian women and other workers resided. Unable to speak the language and surrounded by conversations in Tamil, she faced even more difficulties.
Her work also changed. “I had to carry items outside in 50-degree heat,” she said. “There was neither eating time nor sleep time.”
After working there for about 10 to 11 days, her health deteriorated. Unable to continue, she requested to return to her previous workplace. Instead, she was taken to another location, which became even more dreadful.
Food Only Once Every 24 Hours
Bagmati said she was confined to a locked room and forced to sleep on a cold floor. Food was irregular. “They kept me there for 18 to 19 days,” she said. “They gave me one piece of flatbread and some stale, foul-smelling food every 24 hours.”
Water was also inadequate. “When I opened the water bottle, insects came out; I had to remove the bugs before drinking,” she said.
When she fell ill and asked for hot water, she was met with verbal abuse and pressure, accused of being incapable of working.
“Even when I asked for hot water because of illness, they refused and tortured me, saying, ‘Why did you come if you can’t work?’” she said. Her mobile phone was confiscated, cutting off her connection to the outside world.
Yet, amid fear and despair, she never lost hope that her brother would find her.
She Was Not Alone There
Bagmati was not the only Nepali woman locked in that room. Other Nepali women shared similar difficulties. She spoke of one woman who had been held there for a long time, was beaten, and suffered a ruptured eardrum. Another young woman from Ilam was also present.
“Everyone cried, afraid no one would rescue them,” she said. But she believed firmly that “my brother would find a way to get me out.”
Driven by this belief, she secretly contacted her brother.
A Single Message Initiated the Rescue Effort
Her brother recalls that she sent a hidden message pleading, ‘I am having a hard time here, can you get me out by paying the agent or some way?’
He began contacting people in Nepal to locate and rescue her. Initially, attempts to reach the agent failed as calls went unanswered. Upon further investigation after she reached Kuwait, they discovered she had been sent on a visit visa.
Efforts to escalate the matter to government agencies soon followed. Her brother contacted the Prime Minister’s Office Secretariat, which then involved the Ministry of Labor and the National Investigation Department (NID). The NID officials helped find her location.
“They helped track my sister a lot,” he said. Negotiations with the agent for financial settlements also took place. The agent initially demanded 200,000 rupees but later tried to settle for 125,000 rupees.
However, after government authorities started legal proceedings against the agent, the situation changed. The agent was arrested, and the concerned office in Kuwait came under pressure. Eventually, the office was compelled to arrange her ticket back to Nepal, her brother explained.
Even after securing the return ticket, her ordeal was not over. Before taking her to the airport, officials in Kuwait forced her to record a video, pressuring her to say only what they dictated.
“They said if I didn’t say what they told me, they wouldn’t let me return to Nepal,” she said. So she falsely stated on camera that she was treated well and fed properly, which was far from the truth. “I had to speak a lie,” she admitted.
At the time, she only thought: “I must return to Nepal, no matter what.”
“I Came Back Alive”
Finally, she arrived back in Nepal. Her brother and others who had worked for her rescue waited at the airport. Relief was evident on her face upon touching Nepali soil, though the fear of her Kuwait days still lingers in her mind.
“I’m alive today thanks to everyone’s efforts,” she said. For her brother, this was more than just rescuing his sister; it was a moment to recognize the government’s role for poor families like theirs.
“We realized the government truly exists for poor families like us,” he said. He expressed gratitude toward the government officers and all involved in her rescue.
An Appeal to Other Women
Upon returning to Nepal, she now urges caution over dreams of going abroad. She warns others not to blindly trust proposals, even if they come through acquaintances or relatives, without verification.
“Don’t go on a visit visa like this,” she advises other sisters. “Even relatives can betray you.”
Her story does not end here. Other Nepali women still locked in similar situations await rescue. She was fortunate to have family looking for her and government agencies involved. But how many Nepali women abroad face such hardship without phones to contact family or are forced to hide their pain by telling cameras everything is fine?
Though relief shines on her face now, the memory of the locked room days remains in her eyes.
Her final plea is simple: “Before deciding to go abroad, check the documents, verify the visa, understand the job and employer, and do not entrust your passport or future to others simply based on acquaintance.”
Because dreams of working abroad, if placed in the wrong hands, can turn a pursuit of employment into a battle for life and death.
