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Asylums of Exploitation: Internally Displaced Children in the Worst Forms of Child Labour Due to the Armed Conflict in Nepal

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John Frederick and Anand Tamang. Terre des hommes Foundation, Lausanne. (2006) together with the Save the Children Alliance in Nepal, June 2006.

A new report released by Terre des hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) reveals the significant exploitation of children who have left their village homes due to the conflict and have found employment in Nepal's urban centres. The study, entitled "Asylums of Exploitation: Internally Displaced Children in the Worst Forms of Child Labour Due to the Armed Conflict in Nepal," was conducted from June 2005 to February 2006. The study investigated the lives, labour and family support of 413 children working in Biratnagar, Pokhara and the Kathmandu Valley. All of the children were from war-affected areas of the country, and most had left their villages due to the conflict or due to family economic problems which were a result of the conflict. The study, conducted by the Centre for Research on Environment, Health and Population Activities (CREHPA), investigated children working as carpet weavers, stone breakers, tea stall and restaurant helpers, mechanic helpers, rag pickers, transport workers and domestic labourers.

Findings from the study challenged the widely-held assumption that children had been forcibly separated from their families by the conflict, travelled unaided in a hostile environment, and were easy prey for abusers and traffickers. It was found that rural families sent their children to work in Nepal's cities both for their protection and to earn income from their labour.  Most children were accompanied to the cities by family members or fellow villagers, and few instances of exploitative labour contractors were found. However, the study found that the working situation of these village children in the cities was very poor.  Most were severely exploited by their employers.  Most children worked from 11 to 13 hours per day, many received little or no remuneration for their work, and many suffered physical abuse from their employers. Although the children's nutrition was generally adequate, almost none had access to appropriate health care. The study shed light for the first time on some forms of child labour that have been heretofore ignored by the development community, particularly tea stall workers and transport workers (the boys who are conductors in micros and tempos). Girl tea stall workers were shown to be among the most exploited and most at-risk of all working children in the study.  Few had friends or family at hand, all worked long hours for very little pay, and almost none had adequate living conditions. The health of young transport workers was shown to be highly at risk, due to inhalation of dust and petrol fumes while working throughout the day in the middle of traffic. Significant health concerns were also identified with child stone breakers, who suffered many injuries in their work, and carpet factory workers, whose workplaces were not ventilated and who suffered respiratory problems from the dust of the wool.  Among the most disturbing findings was the high incidence of physical abuse of children in the workplace. Almost all children, particularly child domestic workers and tea stall workers, reported frequent scolding and beating by their employers.

All of the findings were not dark, however. For example, the study found that young mechanic helpers enjoyed their work, received adequate pay and looked forward to a bright future as mechanics. Other findings showed that while many domestic servants were abused and exploited, others were well cared-for by their employers. While the majority of the working situations examined were exploitative, the study found no obvious risk factors (with the exception of those for girls working in carpet factories) that would result in girls and boys entering worse circumstances, such as being trafficked, entering prostitution, or entering slavery-like labour situations. Employers exploited the children's labour and frequently deprived them of basic needs, but there was little evidence of more extreme danger to the children.

Finally, the study shed light on the future of these children when the present conflict is over. Although the public may look forward to the peaceful return of these children to their villages, the children had different ideas: only a small percentage of the children expressed the desire to return to their villages when the conflict ends. The study was commissioned by Terre des hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) with additional support from the Save the Children Alliance members in Nepal.