Death a high price to pay for intoxication

KATHMANDU, AUG 12 -

Nepali migrant workers working in three Gulf states are paying a high price for their alcohol consumption. Alcohol, banned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is swiftly emerging as an indelible cause of worker deaths and imprisonment.

With little insight on the laws and traditions of the destination countries, many Nepali workers have been consuming smuggled homemade alcohol, which officials claimed is equivalent to slow poison. This ominous addiction, officials said, have often resulted in death or imprisonment. To further complicate the matter, these Islamic states do not identify or keep records of deaths due to 'banned' alcohol, causing officials from knowing the exact number of deaths caused by it. Saudi Arabia saw 254 migrant worker deaths in the past year alone.

 Nepali ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Udaya Raj Pandey, told the Post over telephone that alcohol consumption is widespread in Saudi Arabia. Pandey said alcohol has been one of the leading causes of death among ignorant migrant workers.

"Many workers drink alcohol to avoid work exhaustion and stress. Since homemade alcohol is akin to slow poison, many do not wake up the next day," said Pandey.

According to the Nepali mission in Saudi Arabia, most workers currently serving time in jail were arrested for alcohol consumption.

Similarly, alcohol consumption is fast becoming a cause for worry at the Nepali mission in Qatar too. Jay Bahadur Rai, second secretary at the Nepali mission in Doha, told the Post that alcohol had induced heart-related deaths among workers. Extreme climatic conditions, difficult work and unfamiliar local customs push workers towards alcohol and eventually, death and disease.

"We have been consistently appealing to workers to avoid alcohol. Qatar-based Nepali news weeklies Kantipur and Rajdhani are also raising awareness among workers. Despite this, we have failed to reach a large section of vulnerable workers," said Rai.

Apart from alcohol, stressful daily routines and unhealthy food consumption also pose threats to migrants. Many also die from suffocation after sleeping in rooms the size of closets.

"After work all day under a 50 degree temperature, many sleep with air conditioners at freezing point. Such carelessness easily takes lives," said Rai.

The United Arab Emirates too is no exception. Alcohol has emerged as a key factor in many murders and quarrels among Nepali nationals. However, alcohol is conditionally permitted in some parts of the UAE.

Lok Bahadur Chhetri, second secretary at the Nepali embassy in UAE, told the Post that many Nepalis lack knowledge of the laws of destination countries or try to break them. He claimed that abstaining from alcohol would resolve many problems that the workers face.

"The mission has been suggesting that workers avoid alcohol. We urge them to frequently drink water and concentrate on good food," said Chhetri.

Embassy officials pointed out the lapse in orientation training as the reason why workers are careless about their own welfare. They pointed out the strong need of pre-departure orientation, especially focusing on laws, the environment, health hazards and the workplace. Senior officials at the Department of Foreign Employment accepted that there has been widespread negligence in taking orientation courses. 

Records at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) showed that 212 migrant workers have been jailed in Saudi Arabia, 45 in the UAE and 27 in Qatar. Latest data from the three Nepali embassies showed over 3,200 Nepali deaths in Saudi Arabia, around 1,300 in Qatar, around 600 in the UAE so far.

Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/08/12/capital/death-a-high-price-to-pay-for-intoxication/358610/