Child labor is illegal and it is constitutionally prohibited. But it is not the case in reality. Children continue to be made to work in many sectors, especially in the informal economy.
Many minors are found to be employed in hotels, restaurants, quarries, garages, car washing, workshops, agriculture, construction, public transport and stone quarries. This problem prevails also in Dang district despite efforts to check it.
The Himalayan Peace and Development Campaign (HiPDeC) has rescued 20 child laborers from Dang district so far in 2019. It has found 85 child laborers in the district at present.
The NGO has been rescuing and rehabilitating the child laborers in collaboration with the Ghorahi Sub-metropolitan City.
HiPDeC's Program coordinator Kiran Gautam said his organization has been rescuing child workers and repatriating them to their families and also providing some financial support to the family of rehabilitated children so that they do not return to child labor.
The organization also provides stationery to the rehabilitated child workers to encourage them to go to school.
According to HiPDeC study, 460 child workers were rescued in 2016, 305 child workers were rescued in 2017 and 193 child workers were rescued in Ghorahi area alone in 2018.
It has prepared the particulars of 318 child workers, carried out incident management of 201 child workers and enrolled 125 child workers in school and also provided them stationery and school uniform, in the last three years period.
Similarly, the organization has provided psycho-social counseling to 117 child workers, rescued and rehabilitated 103 child workers and provided financial assistance to the families of 94 child workers.
