Cooperation Needed To Eliminate Child Labour

Children, who are tomorrow’s citizens to shoulder the country’s responsibilities, constitute more than 40 per cent of the country’s population. However, the present condition of children in Nepal is not very satisfactory. Many children are suffering from worst forms of child labour. They are deprived of their basic child rights. Thus, child labour has become one of the serious social problems in Nepal. Until a decade ago, child labour was not accepted as a national problem. Now, it has been regarded as one of the national issues. The government has expressed its strong commitment to end child labour. The government has already ratified UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and several other international human rights related instruments expressing its clear-cut commitment to eliminate child labour in Nepal. Some non-governmental organisations are also active in the field of child rights. Donor agencies have expressed their concern and supported Nepal for ending child labour. One of the major causes of child labour in Nepal is massive poverty. Parents send their children to work instead of sending them to school for education. As poverty is the main cause of child labour, efforts need to be directed to attack poverty in order to end child labour. Poverty is so massive and acute that it cannot be eradicated overnight and so is the child labour. Child labour is thus a stumbling block for tomorrow’s social and economic development of the nation. Child labour needs to be discouraged and eliminated, for which co-operation from all sectors is highly needed.

Yubaraj Rijal
Dallu, Kathmandu

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