Manandhar: Families in South Asia send relatives to Middle East for work

Families in Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian countries send their relatives – brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters – to the Middle East to work, with the sole aim of earning income, Lajana Manandhar, representative of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights and community-based housing rights advocate, stated at the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.

She explained that crisis situations in the region shatter the hopes of these families: "The goal is to earn money, send remittances home, pay for children"s education, cover medical expenses, or secure better housing conditions. They contribute to building the cities and economies of those countries, hoping to create safer and better lives for their families. These people do not go to the Middle East willingly, nor do they want to live there permanently. But when crises occur, the impact is extremely severe."