Report calls for concerted effort to end forced child labour in Nepal's brick industry

ByLaxman Datt Pant

Report calls for concerted effort to end forced child labour in Nepal's brick industry

Underlining that bonded and forced labour continue in Nepal’s private sector, including within the brick industry, an Employment Relationship Survey, released today, has called for intensive effort to end forced child labour in Nepal’s brick industry. The survey, jointly carried out by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of Nepal, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and UNICEF, seeks a holistic approach from stakeholders to work towards a decent working environment in the country’s brick production industry.

Released on the eve of the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, the survey reveals important information regarding forced labour, bonded labour, and child labour in this sector.

Commenting that Nepal has made remarkable progress in fighting traditional bonded labour practices, the joint press statement by the CBS, ILO, and UNICEF reads, “Nepal became a pathfinder country of the Alliance 8.7 that is working to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 8.7: take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and end child labour in all its forms by 2025.”

The report, said to be the first nationally representative research on the brick industry in South Asia, captures major findings that aim to inform the efforts of government, industry, and other stakeholders to end child and bonded labour practices in the sector. It also highlights the links between internal and cross-border migration and vulnerability to child labour and economic exploitation.

  • The survey reveals a prevalence of labour exploitation with 6,229 (3.5%) workers in forced labour among the 176,373 manual laborers in the brick kilns including family members
  • An estimated 34,593 children between ages of five and 17 are living in brick kilns
  • Children account for approximately 10% (17,738) of total workers and 96% of these working children (17,032) were identified as being subject to child labour
  • Migrant workers represent a high proportion of workers in the brick kilns: only 22% of the total number of workers are originally from the same district where the kiln is located, 32% of workers come from other districts of Nepal and 46% have migrated from India
  • Rolpa, Rautahat, Dang, Kailali, and Sarlahi are the top five source-districts for Nepalese brick kiln workers and supply nearly 46% of the workforce at different kilns across the country
  • In terms of payment methods, over three quarters (75.7%) of the workers receive an advance payment from labour contractors and 3.5% directly from their employers
  • The survey revealed that only 4% of workers were aware of the current minimum wage rate and 4% said they were aware of labor law or rules
  • Membership in trade unions is almost non-existent. Employers’ knowledge of the legal framework is more common: 66% of employers are aware of the Labour Act, 42% of the Animal Act, 88% of the Child Labour Act, and 63% of the Security and Health Act

Stressing that UNICEF is committed to continued collaboration with the Government of Nepal and industry leaders to ensure children are removed from the industry and to supporting children and their families to access social rehabilitation and protection services, Elke Wisch, UNICEF Nepal Representative, said, “As we enter the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, this survey is a reminder of the critical need to strengthen concerted action to eliminate the worst forms of child labour in all sectors of society.” This new evidence will inform and guide government policymakers, brick kiln industry stakeholders, and development actors in their collective action to tackle the economic exploitation of children and their families, she added.

Highlighting that the study has produced important insights about the child labour situation in the brick kiln industry, Nebin Lal Shrestha, Director General at the CBS said, “It will greatly contribute to monitoring child labour related policies and programs implemented by the government of Nepal.”

Reiterating that the ILO Nepal is committed to supporting the government and development partners through its programs by implementing preventive as well as responsive measures, Richard Howard, Director of the ILO Country Office for Nepal, said, “The report highlights important statistics on the decent work deficit that leads to forced and child labour situations in Nepal and the challenges to overcome it are multi-faceted.”

The survey concluded that with advance payments having no clarity regarding repayment, this usually tends to turn to debt for years to come thereby increasing vulnerability to forced labour. It also has found that illiteracy was a major vulnerability factor for child and forced labour which could have a direct impact on the awareness of labor laws and regulations among workers and employers.