Kathmandu , Nepal ( CNN ) -- Nepal has banned women under the age of 30 from working in Persian Gulf nations amid increasing concerns over abuse and exploitation . Nepalese women are among thousands of Asians who travel to the Middle East in search of employment . They often arrive willingly , but subsequently face conditions that the U.S. State Department says is indicative of forced labor -- the withholding of passports , restrictions on movement , nonpayment of wages for work up to 20 hours a day , threats , deprivation of food and sleep , and physical or sexual abuse . The age bar is aimed at preventing some of the abuse , Raj Kishore Yadav , Nepal 's minister of information and communication , said Thursday . He said the hope is that the risks are lower with more mature women . The Nepalese government says 58,000 Nepalese women are working in these Gulf states -- Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , Bahrain , Qatar , United Arab Emirates and Oman . However , human rights agencies estimate that number at about 200,000 , saying that the official figure does not take into account all those who have traveled illegally , many through India . Nepal had imposed a complete ban on women working in the Gulf states after the suicide of a domestic worker , but lifted those restrictions in 2010 . Read more : Burmese migrant workers dream of returning home . Recently , CNN spoke with a Nepalese woman who was beaten and raped by her employer in Kuwait and managed to escape to the Nepalese embassy . Kumari , who is not fully identified because she is a victim of sexual abuse , returned home pregnant . `` My landlord would beat me , they ( he and his wife ) both would beat me , '' she said . `` My body would ache . '' One day , she said , the landlord came home when the rest of the family was out , and called her into the bathroom . When she refused he came to her . `` He beat me up , '' she said . `` First he covered my mouth so I could not scream . '' After he raped her , Kumari said , she asked for her passport . `` He would n't give it to me , '' she said . Human Rights Watch , which has documented abuse of Asian women workers in Middle Eastern nations , says Nepal 's age limit policy does not go far enough to address the gravity of the problem . `` Imposing a ban on women under 30 from migrating to the Gulf fails to solve the underlying problem of how desperate women are for decent work , '' said Nisha Varia , senior researcher for the rights group 's Women 's Rights Division . Varia said she once visited a hospital in Kuwait that had an entire ward devoted to domestic workers who had spinal cord and back injuries from botched escape attempts or attempted suicide from high-rise residential buildings . Read more : Booming Brazil lures immigrant workers . She said the priority should be not to set limits but to work to improve working conditions and local justice systems . `` Instead of a blanket ban on its own women that denies them important employment opportunities , Nepal 's government should work with other labor-sending governments to demand stronger protections for migrant workers in the Gulf , '' Varia said . Migrant worker advocate Manju Gurung agreed . `` We are not happy with the decision , '' said Gurung , who heads Pourakhi , a Nepalese agency that promotes the welfare of women migrant workers . `` This is a protectionist approach , '' she said . `` The government should negotiate with destination countries and have bilateral agreements . There is a demand for women workers . '' About 2.5 million Nepalese who work abroad , other than in India , contribute 21.4 % of the Nepal 's GDP , according to the government . Remittances from the Gulf play a huge role in the Himalayan nation , where about 30 % of the people are unemployed . `` The government is right to be concerned about abuse against migrant women , but the correct response is not to stop them from going , but to ensure they can migrate with guarantees for their safety , '' Varia said . Journalist Manesh Shrestha reported from Kathmandu and CNN 's Moni Basu , from Atlanta . CNN 's Sara Sidner contributed to this report .
Nepal 's government hopes the risks of abuse will be lower with more mature women . Widespread exploitation of domestic workers in Gulf states has been documented . The ban does not solve the underlying problem , says a Human Rights Watch researcher . A migrant workers ' advocate says Nepal should ensure improved working conditions for women .