 |
|
| Kathmandu, Friday January 31, 2003 Magh 17, 2059. |
|
Rescued children from factory
seek justice
By Suvecha Pant
KATHMANDU, Jan 30 : On his way to school, 14
years old Bijay Giri of Jhapa found a wallet lying on the street. The wallet contained Rs
10,000, the amount of money he had ever seen in his life. Then he bought a bus ticket to
Kathmandu.
On reaching the buspark in Kathmandu, Giri found
that all his money had been lost. Penniless and merely a child, he was quickly coxed by
the words of ‘Kishan Dai’ who approached him as he stepped out of the bus.
Giri was promised employment along with food and
shelter. Alone in the big city of Kathmandu, he obediently followed Kishan Dai to the Jaya
Banglamukhi Wool Factory in Boudha.
However, Kishan Dai’s promise proved simply
to be a trick. Giri soon found himself in an atmosphere that is horrible for any human
being let alone a child.
"We were constantly beaten and never
allowed to go outside the factory," recalls sixteen years old Binod Budhathoki.
"We had to work more than 18 hours a day and often we were not fed enough."
Giri and Budhathoki were amongst the 14 children
rescued by CWIN (Child Workers in Nepal) from the Wool Factory on January 11 where they
were made to work illegally under severe conditions.
"The brokers used to lock us all up in a
room during the night," he said. Budhathoki said they were sometimes even washed with
their own urine if they disobeyed their masters.
There were two brokers who looked after 14
children. The children range from the age of 12 to 17 with three less than 14 years old,
five over 16 years old and six of fifteen years old.
"Nine of us tried to run away and reached
Bhaktapur but they found out and brought us back," said Budhathoki. "We were
severely beaten and locked up in the room for sixteen hours."
That was when CWIN officials came and rescued
these children. Those days of misery behind, now these children seek justice.
And this time they are not alone. With the
support of CWIN and Centre to Assist and Protect Child Rights in Nepal (CAPCRN), a case
was filed at the Kathmandu District Court on Wednesday against the Jaya Banglamukhi Wool
Factory, Boudha.
The case has been filed against the Wool Factory
for employing children in violation of the law against child labour under Sections 7 and 8
of the Juvenille Act 1990. The law requires permission of the parents before employing the
children.
"This is the first time a case has been
filed as per the ILO Convention at the District Court," said Bharat Adhikari,
officer, CWIN Helpline. "Previously, 16 was considered to be the age that a child
could work. However, the International Labour Organisation Convention, which Nepal has
ratified, states it to be 18."
"We are trying to press the court to
recognise that these children were employed illegally and therefore to give appropriate
punishment," said Adhikari.
Similarly, four children namely Dipak Rai, Chij
Bahadur Gurung, Ghanshyam Karki and Binod Budhathoki have filed an application at the
District Police Office (Children and Women Section) at Kalimati against Krishna Bahadur
Karki alleging him of indulging in flesh trade.
However, according to officials at CWIN, the
broker Krishna Bahadur Karki who brings children to garment factories for money ranging
from Rs 200 to Rs 400 has not yet been detected.
Meanwhile, the children residing at the CWIN are
awaiting justice. Some plan to join training courses provided by CWIN, others want to
study while some others just want to go home.
Whatever is their plan for the future, but at
the moment, they all share a common desire to punish the culprits - Kishan‘Dai and
the owners of the garment factory Krishna Bahadur Thapa, Tek Bahadur Khadka and Min
Bahadur Khadka and to get their hard- earned money.
The 14 children rescued from the wool factory
include Nabaraj Regmi and Durga Prasad Bhandari of Gorkha, Chij Bahadur Gurung and Bharat
Shrestha of Lamjung, Prakash Pant of Nuwakot, Bhupal Karki of Khotang, Bijaya Giri of
Jhapa and Sanu Chaudhary of Udayapur, Rajesh Hamal of Sarlahi, Tika Bahadur Khapangi of
Sindhuli, Jivan Thapa of Tanahu, Ghanashyam Karki of Okhaldhunga, Binod Budhathoki of
Morang and Dipak Rai of Sankhuwashabha.
Other Stories
|
