2011: FROM A LIFE OF BONDAGE TO A LIFE OF FREEDOM - DeWAG SUPPORTS A PROJECT FOR ENDING CHILD LABOUR
Child labour has been officially banned in Nepal since the year 2000. The exploitation of many girls from the Tharu ethnic group which lives in the south west of the country is nevertheless commonplace.
Many Tharu families are so poor that they feel forced to sell their daughters. The intention is for them to spend their childhood years earning money by working as Kamalari (domestic drudges) for rich families in the towns and cities. A 14 to 16-hour working day is not unusual. The girls frequently lose contact with their own families, and particularly in the larger towns and cities, they have no protection against sexual exploitation.
As part of a development programme the children’s aid organisation Plan is ensuring that the necessary education and advice is provided. It is developing media campaigns, setting up child protection committees, and actively seeking the support of local and national bodies for the abolition of the practice of Kamalari labour. It convinces parents of Kamalari girls not to extend the inhumane contracts, or to terminate them prematurely.
Since the start of 2006 Plan has been able to return more than 1,700 girls to their home villages in the Dang district. In Dang the practice of Kamalari labour has now effectively been abolished.
Plan has therefore extended its work to the neighbouring districts of Kailali and Kanchanpur, where there are still over 4,000 girls who urgently need help.
DeWAG will help fund this project.