Nani Baral

Nani Baral

MPhil fellow at Tribhuvan University and researcher at Equidem

ChainGE Lab Research Fellow

Nani Baral is an MPhil fellow at Tribhuvan University. She is currently conducting her thesis on migrant worker vulnerability within Global Value Chains, with a specific focus on the Nepal–Malaysia manufacturing corridor. In parallel with her academic work, she serves as a labour rights researcher at Equidem, where she contribute to research on labour migration and workers’ rights.

Baral's work focuses on labour migration from South Asia and East Africa to the Gulf region and Malaysia, with particular attention to labour rights issues across the migration cycle, from recruitment to employment conditions. She uses open-source investigation methods and qualitative approaches, including direct conversations with migrant workers, to better understand and document their lived experiences for Equidem’s reports. Her interests also include the governance of Global Value Chains and how these governance structures influence labour migration patterns and working conditions. More broadly, she is interested in Business and human rights (BHR) and responsible business practices within global production systems.

Within the framework of ChainGE Lab, Baral aims to advance research on migrant worker’s vulnerability within Global Value Chains, particularly in the context of the Nepal–Malaysia manufacturing corridor. Her research will explore how GVC governance structures shape labour migration processes, recruitment practices, and working conditions, with a focus on identifying patterns of labour rights risks and contributing to a better understanding of responsible business and human rights in transnational production systems.