NATIONAL12 [ (Spotlight Weelky)]

Child Labour: Individual Effort Will Make A Difference

Child labour, a word that is heard very commonly today, spelled disaster for Nepal’s carpet industries about a decade ago after foreigners stopped importing their products, citing the exploitation of children. In the last decade, NGOs, INGOs, UN bodies, the business community, along with the Ministry of Labour, are involved in various activities addressing the issue of child labour. In 1990, after the restoration of multiparty democracy, children became a focal point of national concern. Under Nepal’s new democracy, the international Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified, the declaration of the World Summit for Children was signed, and children found their rightful place in the constitution.

Child labour is not a new phenomenon; it has been a part of our feudal economy. However, it is only in recent years that we hear of carpet and garments industries, confectioneries, brick kilns and stone quarries employing children for their submissive and inexpensive characteristics. The issue of child labour cannot be viewed in isolation, because this is a consequence of the country’s exploitative socio-economic and political reality.

The number of working children is higher in rural areas than urban. In the urban areas, children are found more in the manufacturing sectors such as clothing, carpeting, and footwear industries. This problem is more prominent in Third World countries like ours. In Nepal, 31 percent of the population in the 10-17 years age group is reported to be economically active.

Some studies have found that both boys and girls begin their working lives when they are about six years old. In most of the cases, children are forced into the labour market to sustain the family. In search of market, children are even sent outside the boundary of their own birthplace. A number of Nepali children also travel to major cities of India.

Five major sectors have been identified as employing child labour in our country: agriculture, service, trade and commerce, industry and construction, and transportation. Over 94% of child workers have been absorbed by the agriculture sector alone. Service, construction, transportation, and communication have 1.6% each, and less than 1% of the children are involved in technical and production works.

All attempts at eliminating child labour problems are still in various phases of implementation. The irony of the mushrooming of INGOs and NGO is that only few are effectively operating to resolve child-labour problems, while others are just pawns in the game of greed and corruption. Organizations like UNICEF, Rugmark, ILO, CWIN, NESPEC and the government are taking commendable initiatives to eliminate the problems related to child labor.

Nepal has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and ILO Minimum Age Employment Convention. It has adopted the Labour Act 1991 and Children’s Act 1992 based on these convention and has declared illegal the employment of children under the age of 14. The by-laws of the Children’s Act 1992 have also provided special rights to the children to be protected from harm and exploitation, including child labour exploitation.

The question that arises here is whether the ban on and elimination of child labour really appropriate and rational in a country like ours. The claim here is that eliminating child labour without first providing alternative sources, may lead to more problems. An unqualified ban on child labour, without ensuring children’s rights, can easily result in the eradication of the child itself. The common trend until now has been to lobby for the eradication of the problem "child labour". Instead, why cannot people think of alternative ways to handle child labour problems?

In the course of our research, we did a field survey and distributed questionnaires to the public to seek their response regarding the solution to child labour. We found the follow response: 45% of the respondents thought education was the solution, while 33.4% called for greater awareness. Effective government policy was favoured by 11.7%, and the setting up of rehabilitation centers was urged by 6.7%. Rugmark certification was sought as a solution by 3.4% of the respondents.

The results of the questionnaire depicted that the people believed education and awareness as being the most important solutions, and other solutions as moderate.

Child labour is not a problem just for the child but one for the whole society. There is no one such solution that can eliminate child labour. If it were so, then the problem would have been solved a decade ago when we first felt the blow. This problem should be handled collectively as well as individually. Setting up organization after organization will certainly not solve the problem until the whole mass is aware about the problem, as is evident from the response of the people.

Thus, we all should make an effort in whatever way possible to solve the problem. Reference to a small anecdote may help us to understand what each individual should do to solve this problem. There was once a young boy who would go to a beach every morning .The night waves would wash away many fish to the shore, some even alive.

The young boy would every morning religiously throw one fish back into the sea. An old man noticing this peculiar behavior of the young lad asked why he would do so; throwing just one fish would not matter as there were many fish still left on the shore. To this, the young lad replied that it certainly would not solve the whole problem but it would certainly make a difference to that "one little fish".

Therefore, the lesson here is that the magnitude of the child labour problem is so huge that it cannot be solved instantaneously. Despite all the planning and organizations out in the field, child labour will still be around for years to come. We will be hearing about it now and then. So the next time you hear words "child labour", don’t merely acknowledge that the problem exists. Instead, make an effort or take an initiative in any way you can to resolve the child-labour-related problems and issues. It is individual effort that will make a difference. Therefore, let us all take a step towards a solution of the child labour problem.

(This article was jointly prepared by Chiti Shrestha, Nischal B. Shrestha, Sapana Sharma, and Upasana Shrestha, MBA students of Kathmandu University School of Management)