Biratnagar's success story in minimising child labour

Biratnagar, Sept. 15: Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan City is a success story in minimising child labour.

It has successfully rescued more than 12,000 child labourers in the last one-and-a-half decades.

Now, there are 552 child labourers- 290 boys and 262 girls.

An industrial city with many manufacturing industries and having the third largest customs in the country, Biratnagar had more than 12,000 child labourers in 2000.

“We conducted a baseline survey to prepare basic data of child labourers in Biratnagar in 2000. In the following decade, we were successful in bringing down the number of child labourers to about 2,800,” said Dilli Dhimal, focal person for Child Friendly Local Governance (CFLG) in the Sub-Metropolitan City Office.

The City Office has conducted household survey and identified the child labourers in the first phase.

“After the identification of child workers, we started their rehabilitation process. A counseling campaign was launched to raise awareness against child labour and thousands of employers, families and children were encouraged to say ‘no’ to child labour,” said Rajesh Maskey, coordinator of United Tole Nagar Committee.

By the time, the city declared itself as having fully adhered to the CFLG in May 2016, it had approximately 552 child labourers.

It was the result of coordination with and cooperation from the political parties, child rights activists, employers, government agencies, non-government organisations and other stakeholders.

 Status of child labour in Biratnagar

Year	2010	2013	2014	2015
Boys	1,352	574	451	262
Girls	1,429	548	367	290
Total	2,781	1,122	818	552

                               Source: Biratnagar City Office

According to Dhimal, many child labourers were rehabilitated back in their families.

About 700 child labourers were rehabilitated in the past two years with the support from various stakeholders and Child Clubs.

The children, who have been reintegrated in their families, now go to school.

Likewise, various skill oriented trainings are being organised for children above 14.

“Some families need their children to work to eke out a living. In such cases, children of such families were trained in income generating skills,” said Shamim Alam, a child rights activist.  

But what worked well was the formation of Child Clubs and the Child Clubs Network.

The city had around 36 Child Labourers Clubs a decade ago.

Now it has only four of them while the number of school-level Child Clubs is 102, ward-level 22 and one municipal-level Child Club Network which is run by a 31-member working committee.

Paras Sharma, member of Municipal Child Clubs Network, said that the awareness in the part of children had played a crucial role in curbing down the practices of child labour, child marriage and other activities that were against the child rights.

“Because of the Child Clubs we are empowered to make plans and projects for ourselves, put them through the Municipal Council meeting and feel empowered,” he said.

Namita Neupane, member of CPN-MC Biratnagar, appreciated the role of Child Clubs in monitoring the child labourers.

Sagar Thapa of the CPN-UML remarked that the clubs had inspired them to be more responsible and accountable in terms of child rights and work against child labour.

In a crusade against child labour, Biratnagar started to declare hotels and restaurant as ‘child labour free’ and had put them up such stickers. No hotel and restaurant is allowed  to operate without such stickers.

Bimala Tiwari, member of Ward Citizens’ Forum, Ward No. 6, said, “The Child Clubs formulate very innovative plans for children. They proposed rehabilitating of street children and monitoringd child marriage.”

Journalists Gokul Parajuli and Dhruba Bhattarai appreciated the role of Child Clubs and other stakeholders in curbing child marriage. “Involving children in development planning empowers them. While working against child marriage, they have risked their lives,” they said.