Escaping poverty at home, Nepali women fall into the Gulf trap

Thousands of women outside Nepal government’s records are confined by restrictive Kafala rules.

Sabina Gurung, 32, travelled to Kuwait in 2021 to work as a domestic help. By 2024, after around three years on the job, she began asking her employer for permission to return to Nepal. Each time, the response was the same: “Not until we find someone to replace you.”