Eradicating Child Labour
Long And Short-Term Policies Needed

By Khilendra Basnyat

CHILDREN are tomorrow’s citizens who shoulder the country’s responsibilities. However, the present condition of children in many countries is far from satisfactory.

In many countries, especially in the developing ones, many children are deprived of their basic child rights. Hence, child labour has become one of the grave social problems in these countries.

Today, child labour has become a globalised from of violence against them. However, the use of labour for fighting in civilian militias and military gangs is a deadly form of induction into violence at an early age.

In fact, the problem of child labour continues to beset many developing economies. The increasing endeavours for the integration of the global market for goods and services have brought the issue of child labour to be discussed at various national forms. Employees hire children because they are cheaper to than adults. Apart from this, they are easily replaceable. This makes it difficult for children to study and work as well.

In many countries, child workers are often employed on a daily and casual basis. Actually, poor enforcement of the labour laws is also a contributing factor to the large number of under-aged children in employment in most countries. These children are forced into an adult world of responsibility and hard labour. The work they do is often accompanied by physical injury and mental abuse. However, they must work to survive or half feed their family.

Observers are of the opinion that between four to six million children from basic schools to higher education have dropped out or dropping out of schools because parents can no longer afford the expenditure needed for their education.

In many countries, children work on factories and industries in a very exploitative situation. They work in factories making explosives or doing heavy work.

Children are often used in the production of pormographic materials too which will have negative and psychological consequences in their mind.

The hazardous working conditions expose children to risk. In chemical, ceramic and glass industries, they not only bear the risk of being burnt but also suffer side effects from toxic air.

Generally, matches are produced in small cottage units or rural factories where there is a constant risk of fire and explosion and a large number of children work in such factories bearing great risk.

A significant number of children are found working in cigarette and bidi factories where they may become addicted.

Simiraly, children working in the jute and cottage industries have to endure an unhealthy environment which poses a great threat to their respiratory system.

In many countries, particularly in the developing ones, must factories and industries lack safety measures, making the working environment unsafe. Such risks undermine the overall physical and mental development of children.

Time and again, children are found running around honking cars with under nourished bodies pulling rickahaws or small heads balancing heavy loads in urban areas. Such children are in the fringes of society, a neglected section of the population whose contributions are understimated.

Pondering over the recent trend of child labour, it should be made in a manner which does not jeopardise the momentum in the growth of international market for production in the developing economies. The developing countries in fact, need to solve the problems of child labour.

Several measures are at present in operation in all the developing economies for children’s right. The time is ripe now that one recognised the significane of the inherent synergy between various efforts.

Until a decade ago, child labour was not accepted as a national problem in Nepal. However, it has been recognised as one of the national issues now.

A Nepal Labour force Survey conducted a few years ago found that more than fourty per cent of children aged between five to fourteen years work to help their parents.

Children are the main part of manpower in the agricultural sector. Apart from this, they are engaged in industries, brick kiln and construction work. The most vulnerable are the street children.

According to the National Child Policy, children below fourteen should not be involved in manual labour. However, under-aged children are employed in various kinds of work, including hazardous work to make ends meet. These children are at times the sole breadwinners of their families.

Despite the formulation of policies, programmes and legal framework regarding the rights of the children, many Nepalese children are still deprived of their basic rights required for their physical and mental development.

A significant number of children are still not able to go to school for various reasons. Child mortality is also high in Nepal.

In the recent years Nepal has shown its seriousness in addressing the child’s issue. In this regard in 2000 the government introduced an Act that requires an employer to provide a working child with education vocational training and medical treatment.

The Child Development Society was set up in 1991 by a group of professional social workers interested in Nepal’s child right issues. The background of its establishment was the World Summit for children in 1990. The hope was that the society would be the bridge between an organisation and individuals engaged in diverse activities conducted by Nepalese children. However, the society could not meet the expectation of the people at large.

No doubt, the government has been committed to eliminating all kinds of child labour within the next ten years and the worst forms of child labour within the next five years. An outline to implement programmes for this has already been prepared. Freequent seminars and workshops renewed their pledges every now and then to bring about radical change in the poor state of children.

Since child labour is directly associated with poverty, health, education and awareness, there is a need of launching poverty aleratation programme, income generation and public awareness programmes.

In order to eradicate child labour in Nepal both short and long – term policies should be systematically and scientifically framed. Long term policies should be made in order to provide good social security, educational training and other facilities. Short-term policies should eliminate the adverse conditions affecting child labour and also bring about improvement in the working conditions.

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