Child labour in Nepal

The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines child labour as "work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development". This includes work that interferes with schooling, separates children from their families, or exposes children to serious hazards. == Industries using child labour ==

The NLFS also found that 88.7% of the working children are being employed in the agricultural sector. The report indicated other industrial activities like mining and stone breaking, weaving, and domestic service. In 2014, the Department's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor reported bricks, carpets, embellished textiles and stones as goods produced in such labor conditions by both child laborers and forced workers. Agriculture According to Edmonds (2006) Fafchamps (2006) With all of this said, Abdulai (1999) reports that children working in the agricultural field do not significantly impact the agricultural output of Nepal. Military The Communist Party of Nepal [CPN(M)] was composed of the People's Liberation Army and the Royal Nepal Army. Some children joined the army due to abduction and manipulation, others due to voluntary association. During the Nepalese Civil War children worked as soldiers, sentries, spies, cooks, and porters. In Nepal, about 1,800 children under fourteen years old are employed by the carpet industry. Domestic Labour Domestic labour for children in Nepal includes childcare, cooking, shopping, fetching water, and cleaning. According to Edmonds (2006) in one week children ages 6–15 spend 4.3 hours doing domestic work. Girls typically have to do significantly more domestic work than their male siblings, and the hours girls spend on domestic work increases when there are siblings added to the household while the hours boys spend on domestic work generally stays the same. == Causes of child labour ==

Poverty Poverty is a major cause of child labour in Nepal and is often coupled with lack of education according to a study by Ersado (2005). Not having access to schooling often leads parents to find employment for their children. According to Ranjan (2002) this leads many parents to involve their children in the labour force. Gender Inequality Many parents in Nepal believe that female children should be at home doing domestic work instead of going to school according to Jamison (1987). Their reasoning is that there would not be enough people supporting the household and that girls will be given away in marriage anyway. female children are more likely to be involved with child labour than male children. Girls also tend to work more hours than boys, especially the oldest girl. The more children a family has, the more hours the oldest female child works. When a male child is added to the family both the oldest female and male siblings have to work an extra 1.5 hours a week, and when a female child is added to the family only the oldest female child has to work extra hours. This inequality persists to adulthood, as seen by Nepal's low score on the Gender-related Development Index (GDI). Nepal has a score of 0.545, as compared to Canada's score of 0.959. == Impact ==

Education Even though schooling increases a child's future income, there is a low enrollment rate by poor families. Parents may feel that by enrolling their children in school they are missing out on the income that they could bring in immediately. in the long run, child labour impedes long run economic growth through slower rate of human capital accumulation. One way in which human capital is accumulated is through education. As working takes up time for children to go to school, rate of human capital accumulation is negatively affected. Also, child labour is expanding as the economy is growing, which some see as an indication of a flawed economy. Nonetheless, a study by Ersado (2005) found that children in Nepal contribute about 7% of the household income, which is quite high compared to other developing countries. == Responses ==

Organizations Given the seriousness of the issue of child labour in Nepal, there are thousands of Governmental Organizations and numerous international non-governmental organizations that work in Nepal to tackle the problem of child labour through improving educational standards. International Labour Organization One of the goals of this organization is to eliminate the worst forms of child labour in Nepal. They would like to strengthen the monitoring systems for child labour in order to prevent and identify the emerging sectors of child labour. They work to protect children from violence, sexual abuse, harassment, physical and humiliating punishment, bullying, neglect, trafficking, child labour and child marriage. They have since expanded their program to improving women's literacy and community development. Another proposed solution is to provide incentives for parents to send their kids to school. == See also ==