Every child has the right to survival, protection, health and education. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the fundamental human dignity of all children and the urgency of ensuring their well-being and development. It makes clear the idea that a basic quality of life should be the right of all children. Children have the same general human rights as adults and also specific rights that recognise their special needs. While significant strides have been made in the recognition of child rights, a lot still needs to be done to ensure that all children enjoy these rights.

The other day this daily ran a story about the rescued child labourers in the Kathmandu Valley and explaining why most of them balk at returning home, which means going back to the same economic hardships they tried to escape from. While some worked at brick kilns and grill industry, others toiled in hotel and transport sector. Some were even in punishing jobs in blatant violation of child rights. The jobs were, of course, poorly paid.

But there is one common thread tying them together in why they left their home to work: poverty. The shaky economic status of their families was the dominant factor pushing them to earn to make ends meet, and even send some money home. For them, even affording food was a daily challenge. Many dropped out of schools because they couldn't afford to buy pencils, pens, notebooks and books for study. Some hailed from far-flung districts, driven out by economic desperation.

This appalling plight of child labourers highlights the worsening situation of child rights – both nationwide and worldwide – in the wake of COVID-19 and subsequent Russia-Ukraine war that sent the price of basic necessities up and forced countless out of employment. As a result, years of progress in child rights have been rolled back. Exacerbating the problem is the climate crisis resulting in increased severity and frequency of natural disasters.

The responsibility to protect these rights largely lies with the state. Only when that duty is executed, children stand a much better chance of growing up in a society that allows them to thrive. As a society, it is our obligation to ensure child rights are being upheld and that every child has access to education, healthcare, and a safe environment to grow up in. The costs to society of failing its children are huge. Social research findings show that children's earliest experiences significantly influence their future development. The course of their development determines their contribution, or cost to society over the course of their lives.

There's no doubt that notable work has been done in the child rights sector, but it is imperative for three levels of government as well as relevant organisations to work in tandem to create a society where children's labour is not exploited. According to 2021 Nepal Child Labour Report, a whopping 15.3 per cent of Nepali children (1.1 million) are engaged in some form of labour, and that 3.3 per cent of child labourers in urban areas are involved in hazardous works.

Provisions in the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 2000, the Labour Act 2017, the Act Relating to Children 2028 and the National Civil (Code) Act 2017 also place restrictions on the types of work children can be used in. But, as shown by the story, failing to translate these provisions into reality means the exploitation of child labour in one way or other continues, calling for their effective implementation by the state.

Published on: 3 September 2024 | The Rising Nepal