Completed Projects

The South Asia Centre for Labour Mobility and Migrants (SALAM) is a knowledge hub for labour migration supported by the ILO, IOM, and UN Women, with the following participating institutions:
Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), Bangladesh,
International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), India,
Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility (CESLAM), Nepal,
Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan, and
Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), Sri Lanka.
The primary objective of the knowledge hub is to address knowledge gaps on labour migration in the five South Asian countries—Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—by conducting research and publishing on issues related mainly to labour migration.

The primary aim of this task is to create a comprehensive learning document based on the activities carried out by SaMi during the third phase of its implementation. Specifically, the goals include capturing: a) major achievements across the programme components at outcome and output levels, including testimonies of change brought by the programme in the lives of migrants and their families; b) learning and challenges related to the modalities of programme interventions that evolved over the programme implementation period; c) policy-level interventions, including contribution to institutionalising migration-related services in Nepal, more importantly at the local level; d) learning around intergovernmental collaboration and programme implementation through local governments; and e) learnings and challenges while coordinating and collaborating with all the three levels of the government and related agencies in Nepal and in the countries of destination to support Nepali migrant workers and their families.

The major objective of this study was to examine the policy gaps and provide recommendations to address the issue of migrant’s workers based on the data/information available with PNCC. Focusing on migration of Nepali workers to Malaysia, this study seeked to examine the situation regarding access to justice of migrant workers imprisoned in Malaysia and their economic and psychosocial reintegration upon return to Nepal. The study involved designing, planning and implementing research activities by formulating appropriate research methodologies, reviewing relevant literature, analysing data from the PNCC database management system and collecting primary data from interviews with migrant workers and returnees, developing a research report and organising a consultation program to share the research findings for wider dissemination. The report can be read here.

The Reintegrate project is a 5-year study (2021-2026) funded by the European Research Council under a Starting Grant to Dr Katie Kuschminder. This project will develop a conceptual understanding of what is reintegration governance, its implementation and effectiveness and a new theoretical framework of how different forms of reintegration governance shape returnees’ reintegration outcomes across an in-depth comparative analysis of four different states: Nepal, Nigeria, Serbia, and the Philippines. The project is rooted in the nexus between policies and migrants’ agency and aims to illustrate the role that returnees play in their own reintegration outcomes.

The objective of the study has two main components: a) to provide an overview of the legal status and the general situation of street vendors, including their types, modes of operation, socio-economic background, and working conditions; to identify the challenges faced by them in securing legal status and accessing social protection measures, including the Social Security Fund, and other vulnerabilities they face in fiscal space; to identify their social protection needs, including from a gender and ‘leave no one behind’ perspective; and b) to identify the possible means and measures to ensure their access to legal status and make social protection measures to ensure their full realisation of the rights guaranteed in the Constitution of Nepal 2015; to identify the challenges that the duty-bearers face in the management and/or regularisation of street vendors; and to identify means and measures to regularise and/or manage the street vendors, enabling the full enjoyment of their human rights, particularly their social and economic rights.

This research aims to study the role of social network on migration of Nepalis in rural Nepal. The study piloted an in-person mentorship programme in the study area, which involved in-person group meetings between potential mentees and mentors at a time of year when a particularly high number of migrants were at home. The study was conducted in 174 villages in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts of Sudurpashchim province of Nepal. CESLAM/Social Science Baha conducted a baseline census survey, followed by several rounds of phone surveys and qualitative interviews with households and migrants, aspirant migrants, and non-migrant youths.

The study/research is based on data managed by the PNCC with the support of the Open Society Policy Centre (OSPC). The major objective of this work is to publish one research report and three policy briefs on the situation and experiences of Nepali migrant workers, the service provided to them by PNCC during the migration circle. Social Science Baha designed, planned, and implemented research by formulating appropriate research methodologies, including review of relevant literature, cleaning, coding, and analysing the data maintained at the PNCC’s database management system. The research identified gaps on the policies and service delivery to the migrant workers, and the findings were presented in the consultation meetings organised by PNCC, feedbacks and recommendations were collected to incorporate in and revise the reports/briefs. Social Science Baha also provided technical support to PNCC to update its data management system.

Social Science Baha supported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal, in the drafting of the Operational Guideline for Service Delivery of Diplomatic Missions for Migrant Workers.

The overall objective of this study is to generate evidence to build competencies for future skill requirements of Nepali migrant workers, support the stakeholders and returnee migrant workers and their family members who were affected by the pandemic through the identification of enterprise skill set needs in the field of work, demand needs and support in the design and delivery of relevant reintegration activities. The recommendations of the study will provide practical ways ahead to match the demand and supply in the Nepali local labor market.

The overall objective of the study is to identify the extent, circumstances, factors and nature of informality and decent work deficits in the garbage collection, cleaning, and sanitation sectors in Nepal. The study also aims to put forth policy recommendations to effectively reduce decent work deficits in the garbage collection, cleaning, and sanitation sectors and aid the transition to formality.

 The study, which is being carried out jointly with Gettysburg College in the United States, aims to assess people’s perspectives on the role of various groups in peace processes. The findings will generate information about people’s preferences regarding peace processes, which may then be used to inform similar processes in other parts of the world.

Project Description: The major objective of this project is to produce a report by applying a range of appropriate research methodologies to conduct survey/interview in consultation with various stakeholders such as GoN, PNCC Officials, volunteers, local organizations in destinations including Nepali migrant workers in Nepal as well as in destinations.