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Child Labour : A hindrance in development
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~ Social observer
As we can see today child Labour is mushrooming in our country. Just like a plague which spreads in a place. It is so rampant in Nepal that it is becoming difficult for Nepal government to weed it out from the very Nepali roots. Child Labour is not only a hindrance in child’s development but also a hindrance in nation’s development. Children are universally recognized as the most important asset of any nation and child Labour, in the recent past, has evoked a great concern among all. Children have been the main focus of attention especially after proclaiming the year 1979 as the International Year of the Child by the United Nation’s General Assembly.
Child Labour can be defined as that segment of the child population which participates in work either paid or unpaid. Child Labour has also been defined as employment of children in gainful occupations, which are detrimental to their health and deprive them the chances of development. Child Labour implies the work of children both in organized and unorganized sectors that are injurious to their physical, mental, moral and social development. Thus child Labour assumes the character of social problem. Child labour as defined by Homer Folks “ any work by children that interferes with their full physical development, their opportunities for a desirable minimum of education or their needed recreation.”
Causes of child labour are: Migration, Poverty, Preference of Employees, Introduction to Factory System, Broken Families, Population Growth, No scheme for allowance, Lack of enforcement of Laws, Perception of the parents/employers, Apathy of the Government, and Pledging of labour.
Most of us would be horrified to support a business that exploits children. Around the world today, some 250 million boys and girls between the age of 5-14 are exploited and work in the most hazardous working conditions, according to the International Labour Organisation.
In rural areas, the children begin to help their parents in the field at a very early age and school going is an exception rather than a rule.
It is in the unregulated factories and workshops that the worst evils of child labour are found. These factories and workshops are not covered under factories acts and there has been no separate legislative provision for them.
Children 6 to 14 years of age work in carpet industries in Nepal.
Countless number of children are employed as domestic servants, workers in hotels, restaurants, canteens, wayside shops, hawkers, newspaper sellers, sweet and ice crème vendor etc.
The government considers child labour a necessary evil. As its total eradication is not possible, the government has only tried to improve their working conditions through reducing working hours, ensuring minimum wages and providing facilities for health and education. Attempts have been made to provide legal protection for children.
Child labour cannot be eliminated merely by introducing laws. Apart from statutory strict enforcement of statutory provisions, steps must also be taken to make jobs more safe, secure and healthy. Child is due to economic necessity. Hence, in the presence of poverty and starvation child labour cannot be eliminated. Hence, all efforts must be directed at lessening poverty and improving standards of life. Hence, fixation of a minimum and fair wage and a scheme of social insurance for industrial workers can solve the problem to a very great extent. It was in this context that the ILO report on the protection of children and young workers aptly remarked that the problem of prohibition of child labour is inextricably mixed up with the problem of the maintenance of the child the provision of a living wage for all employed persons adequate to maintain the family at an adequate standard.
Education plays and important role in checking child labor. Hence development programmes for child labourers and their families must include education. Thus apart from making education compulsory up to the age of 16years and free provisions must also be made for the education of child labourers so that they learn and also earn to support their families.
A minimum age for employment in any remunerative occupation outside the must be fixed, The working condition of child labourers needs to be regulated through the introduction of the licensing system,
Punishments for Violation of Child Labour Act should be made more stringent,
Provisions should be made for monitoring the organized sector for prevention of child labour,
Major emphasis should be on education and training,
Medical Examination for all working children,
A maximum period of work per day and forbidding work at night,
Prohibition of certain types of Work for Children.
The law failed to protect children who are forced to earn a living because of the rural improvishment and struggle for existence in urban areas. Since poverty is not eliminated overnight, the pragmatic approach was to regulate child labour. So, let us pledge that we will join our hands together to eradicate this evil of child labour from our Nepalese society and make Nepal a better living place not just for the rich but for the poor as well. After all Right to Life is a Fundamental Right of every citizen of Nepal then why only few enjoy it? With our efforts and determination one day definitely Nepal will get rid of this evil and every child will have a tension free smile on his face. Let us bring back those smiles, happiness, security and zest for living which are lost somewhere.
Children as social victim
Every child has a right to live in an environment that is peaceful, safe, friendly and free from violence. However, it is a harsh truth that violence against children is prevalent throughout the world with varying degrees.
Violation of the children’s rights to protection, despite being massive, is an under-recognised and under-reported phenomenon in Nepal. It is a barrier to children’s survival and development, besides being a human rights violation. The children subjected to violation, exploitation, abuse and neglect are at risk of death, poor physical and mental health, HIV/AIDS, displacement, homelessness, vagrancy, and poor parenting skills later in life.
Most of the violence against children — whether inside homes, schools, care and justice institutions, the workplace or the community — is implicitly condoned and remains invisible.
Children can suffer abuse in a variety of settings, including at schools or in detention facilities. In addition, an estimated half million children are forced to work in prostitution, child pornography or similar activities. Many are forced, kidnapped, sold and deceived in these activities, or are victims of trafficking. In many different ways, children are vulnerable to multiple forms of violence that threaten their physical and psychological integrity. This is a constant phenomenon that knows no political, cultural, economic or technological boundaries.
Violence against children in Nepal is a neglected, and therefore an accepted, phenomenon. Violence against children is widespread, as it is justified as a natural consequence of illiteracy, poverty, population explosion, poor governance and lopsided government priorities.
Many children became victims of violence throughout the country. Most of these children were abducted for sexual purposes and sodomy. This is also the major reason that an increasing number of children are committing suicides.
The main reasons behind increasing violence against children are poverty, frustration, and lack of understanding and support from parents and teachers.
Pointing out other factors that are responsible for the increasing violence against children. They include easy access to and availability of arms, the rise in the power of extremists, lack of accountability at all levels, and criminalisation of the society.
Violence against children may be divided into three broad categories —physical violence, sexual violence and psychological violence. Incest, corporal punishment, child marriages and child trafficking are some of the other types of violence against children.
Violence against children begins even before a child is born, as we see in the rising number of foeticide cases taking place worldwide and particularly in South Asia, including Nepal. Born a girl, the child suffers a whole set of abuse ranging from neglect and indifference to no access to basic rights such as education, recreation, love and care, nourishment, and healthcare. An early marriage, procreating before the body is ready for such a rigorous exercise, leaving home before she has outgrown her own childhood is the fate of little girl. Rape, molestation, acid throwing, assault, trafficking or girls is all too common.
Boys fare no better as far as abuse in concerned. Besides, verbal, emotional and physical violence is also part of their life.
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