Journalist Ramu Sapkota investigates how vaccine resistance or lack of access has given rise to fake vaccine certificates illegally sold to poor Nepali migrant workers seeking jobs abroad. Sapkota also investigates how Nepali migrant workers going to Malaysia and Gulf countries are being exploited in the name of fake medical reports and recruitment fees.
This reporting project uses police records and comparative data analysis to show how labor agents illegally charge would-be workers for fake vaccine QR code certificates and medical reports, especially in Malaysia, Gulf countries, and the Middle East. Labor agents have colluded with Nepali government officials to produce a fake web-based system for the COVID-19 fake vaccine certificates. Workers often take out loans to pay for the bogus certificates.
Nepal is a significant source of migrant workers, and their remittances comprise a quarter of Nepal's GDP. Many migrant workers remain afraid of COVID-19 vaccines or can't afford to travel to get them.
