NGO: Children make up nearly a quarter of Nepal's work force

Jun 28, 2007, 5:35 GMT

Kathmandu - Nearly 25 per cent of Nepal's work force is made up of children, a non-governmental organization said Thursday.

More than 2.6 million children, or a quarter of Nepal's minors, work as child labourers, and 80 per cent of them are employed in dangerous industries, a report by Concern for Children and Environment Nepal said.

Under Nepalese law, children under 16 are banned from working in high-risk sectors, such as brick kilns and stone quarries, but children continue to be employed there.

Other places children frequently work are tea stalls and small restaurants, and they are also often employed as porters.

The report said many of the children were sent to work by their family who depend on their wages to buy necessities.

'The majority of the children working as child porters, waiters in restaurants and teashops are migrants,' the report said. 'Their parents prefer they work and earn and do not send them to schools as they do not want to lose their hard-earned money.'

The report also said child labourers are subjected to physical, psychological, economic and sexual abuse and are exploited by their employers. Many children are forced to work in intolerable conditions and are underpaid, it said.