Reflections on the Plight of Migrant Workers in the US

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a moving discussion at the Nepal Consulate in New York titled Co-Creating Migration Governance: Strengthening Support Mechanisms of Diaspora and Migrant Communities for Dignified Social Protection of Migrant Workers.

Leaving that room, the sheer weight of the conversation stayed with me for a long time. It was a profoundly grounding, emotional experience that made me realize migration is never just a collection of economic data points or numbers on a balance sheet. It is a raw, deeply human story of sacrifice, resilience, and hope.

As a Nepali international student, I understand the heavy mix of excitement and fear that comes with leaving everything you know behind to build a life in a foreign land. But hearing the realities laid out by diplomats, experts, and advocates was a heartbreaking reminder of how fragile that journey can become when the systems meant to protect our people fail them completely.

The room was filled with a sense of urgency, as former ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa spoke candidly about the harsh realities our migrant workers face daily. He detailed the systemic wage exploitation and the lack of legal protections for people who leave their homes for a better future, only to be met with unfair treatment and constant insecurity. I listened to him and the representatives from Migrant Forum in Asia discuss how this crisis targets women most of all, and my heart felt heavy.

Because of rigid societal and cultural attitudes, women migrant workers are forced to navigate layered exploitation, a terrifying vulnerability to human trafficking, and a near-total lack of access to legal assistance or social security funds.

Standing there, as a young Nepali woman, the immense privilege of my own safety and education felt profound, and it brought a sharp, painful awareness of how desperately we need to build compassionate safety nets for our sisters who are left entirely unprotected in the dark.

The discussion shifted toward structural changes, but even the policy talk was deeply rooted in human dignity. Representatives from the International Organization for Migration brought forward a truth that should be non-negotiable. Migrant workers must have access to universal social security benefits, including:

• healthcare,
• financial protection,
• and emergency assistance.

It was incredibly eye-opening and painful to reflect on how millions of our people spend their youth and sweat building the economies of foreign nations and sending home life-saving remittances to Nepal, yet possess absolutely no basic protections for themselves.

The panel made it clear that migration governance cannot continue to treat human beings as labor commodities to be traded; true governance must protect the lives and well-being of the actual people behind the labor.

The evening also offered a powerful spark of hope through the potential of community and innovation. Badriram Bhandari from the Consulate General discussed the vital role of digitization and diaspora networks, explaining how modern technology can become a literal lifeline for migrants, helping them access resources, verify documentation, and stay connected. It made me realize that diaspora communities provide so much more than financial aid; they provide the emotional anchoring, guidance, and cultural familiarity that keep individuals from feeling utterly isolated and invisible in a strange country.

Journalist Kishor Panthi further emphasized this by speaking of the responsibilities of those working in media and journalism. His remarks reminded me that we have a duty to keep our eyes open, to give visibility to stories that are routinely ignored, and to use our voices to force public accountability and policy change.

Walking away from the consulate, I felt a renewed, deeply personal sense of responsibility.

Our migrant workers carry our nation's economy on their backs, enduring immense loneliness and hardship to lift their families up, yet they are often left to navigate an unsafe world completely unprotected.

This program was a reminder that every single person who crosses a border in search of work carries an inherent right to safety, respect, and fair treatment.

It filled me with a quiet determination to ensure that, as Young BPW, when we look toward the future, we actively advocate for policies, digital innovations, and community spaces that refuse to let our people be exploited, ensuring they are always met with the human dignity they so deeply deserve.

Diya Adhikari
Chair Young BPW
youngbpw@nfbpwc.org