Bridge project launched to curb forced labour

Kathmandu, Feb. 13: With an aim to effectively do away with traditional as well as modern slavery or forced labour, which is often linked to human trafficking, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has launched the Bridge Project in Nepal in collaboration with the government and private sector.

Director of the ILO Nepal office Richard Howard said that the project specially targets the victims of forced labour and trafficking, migrants and potential migrant workers.

"The project will help in strengthening the capacity of the line ministries to develop, implement and monitor policies and national action plans on forced labour," he said.

Its objectives include increasing public awareness and knowledge on forced labour, particularly bonded labour, ramping efforts to collect reliable data on forced labour and forging partnership with the government and local organisations to improve livelihood programmes of the victims of bonded labour.

The four-year project with a fund of US$ 476,000 started in September 2015 and will run till September 2019, and is financed by the United States Department of Labour.

The Ministry of Land Reform and Management, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Rastriya Mukta Haliya Samaj Federation, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Joint Trade Union Coordination Committee are the partners of the project.

"Relations between the trade unions and employers are critical here. Therefore, both the parties as well as the government have to be proactive to stop forced labour," said Howard.

Monitoring officer at the ILO office, Geneva, Oluremi Doherty said that there were 21 million forced labourers globally, and 5.5 million of them were children.

"The statistics show that 55 per cent of the forced labourers are women and 45 per cent men. Likewise, 10 per cent of them are state imposed while 90 per cent are forced to work by the private sector," he said.

According to Doherty, 12 per cent of the workers in general in Nepal are forced labourers.

style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 150%'>“EU is one of the major development partners of Nepal, and bilateral meetings with the regional body and other member states of the Union will help to garner further support and cooperation for Nepal’s development and strengthen the bilateral relationships with them,” said the minister.

Dr. Mahat is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on February 17.

He is being accompanied by the head of the Europe America Division at the MoFA Sushil Kumar Lamsal and other high officials from the ministry and officials of the Nepalese Embassy, Brussels.