“Yesterday is a History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That’s why it’s called the Present”

An inspirational quote, an ancient one which has been modified into various version. I got familiar with it after watching one of my favorite animation movie, Kung Fu Panda. On the scene, Master Shifu (the wise sensei) was trying to cheer up Po (the clumsy panda bear) when he felt down.

The quote implies an important message to make the most of time we have, regardless of the past we had or the uncertain future we face. I personally believe that the quote also means that we need to learn from the past without getting trapped by it, as Sukarno (Indonesia First President) taught Indonesian not to forget the history, but also to look at the future without being obsessed by it.

Drawing upon the quote, this time, the Love Blanket carries the message about the past and the future of Nepali children. Without losing its original philosophy as a symbol of love and protection (First Love Blanket), the Second Love Blanket also tells about the experiences of the rescued child laborers and the dreams of brighter future of Nepali children. The blankets consist of panels which were made by rescued child laborers and school children. I hope the blankets can be a good means to learn about the plight of child labor in Nepal and be a trigger to do something in order to help those children reaching a brighter future.

Producing the panels with the children was exciting. But it was not without challenges. Expressing their feeling, experience, or dream through art was not common for them, most of them haven’t even tried painting before. By the help from BASE’s staffs in the field we managed to organize the children to paint on the panels using brushes and colorful paints, but it got more challenging when we asked them to paint based on a theme. Figures such as house, water pump, and mountain were their favorite.

A letter was written to accompany the panel. The children wrote letters about their experience, their dream of the future, or simply about their daily activity. I found out it wasn’t an easy task either. Some rescued children were left out at their study because they used to work while others enjoyed schooling, they needed help to write just a simple letter.

It was such a journey to meet the children, a journey that brings me to the reality of child labor in the south-western part of Nepal.

Check out the video and feel the journey!

For those interested in attending or hosting Love Blanket exhibition, feel free to contact me.

Meet Jogilal Chaudhary, (BASE community activist) and Rama Paudel (President of Child Friendly Village Committee) to better understand how a child friendly village is being operated, its impact on the community and the response of the community. I have explained about Child Friendly Village (CFV) model which developed by BASE on the previous post.

It is widely known that child labor issue is about deprivation of child rights. In Nepal, particularly in the south-western tarai, it is much more complex than that. It is not only about child rights or right to education, but also tied closely to indigenous people rights, land rights, poverty, backwardness, even marginalization.

There are many rules and governmental bodies which focused on eradicating child labor in Nepal. In Child Labor Act of 2000, The Government of Nepal increased minimum age of hazardous works from 14 to 16 year old. The government has also set up Child Welfare Board under the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare in every district in order to disseminate and implement the rules and regulation in alleviating child labor. However, there are still so many child laborers are employed by high educated people, landlords, even governmental officials.

As a complex issue, I believe, child labor problem cannot be solved only by enrolling children to school while their family have nothing to eat, or punishing employers while parents keep sending their children away to work. It is not only about giving enough money or providing good job to the people. As Birbal Chaudhary, BASE Bardiya District Coordinator, mentioned that changing people’s attitude is necessary needed in this case. Apparently, it won’t be solved overnight, it needs time, it will involve various elements of the country, it requires a holistic yet effective approach to reach the goal.

Human Rights Based Approach to Child Labor

In development fields, Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) is widely implemented. With regard to child labor issue, HRBA puts children in the center of attention. HRBA recognizes that children often forfeit their right to education and other rights to guarantee their holistic development irrespective of the kind of work they do, as well as the centrality of exploitation through work done by children. HRBA help to address this centrality and to identify the conditions and factors that contribute to this problem (Karunan, 2005). Additionally, the programmatic implications of such approach imply coordinated and multi-sectoral interventions in a variety of fields related to the effects of hazardous and exploitative work on children (UNICEF).

I found HRBA is being implemented by BASE.

Different from mainstream, HRBA applies bottom-up approach by highlighting family as the first line of protection for the child and rendering appropriate support and assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing duties in order to facilitate the capacity of the family to protect the rights of the children and their enhancement (Karunan, 2005). In line with that, BASE develops Child Friendly Village (CFV) project which covers more than two hundreds villages in five districts; Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur. CFV ensures that children in the area attend school and free from child labor. CFV aims at protecting children as well as supporting families and communities.

Empowering children is another key point of HRBA to child labor. In order to empower children to participate actively in the improvement of their lives, BASE helps children to organize by forming Child Club in every Child Friendly Village (CFV). Child Club involves school children and rescued child laborers. The formation aims at enhancing their capacity, increasing awareness of their rights and responsibilities in the community, most importantly, identifying child laborers, their living condition in their employers’ house, and advocating for their rights. Child Club leaders are elected in democratic way every 2 year. BASE facilitates them with training on leadership and advocacy. More info on CFV & Child Club can be found on Adrienne Henck’s blog.

BASE Child Friendly Village (CFV) Signpost in Burigaun VDC, Bardiya District Photo by: Maelanny P

BASE Child Friendly Village (CFV) Signpost in Burigaun VDC, Bardiya District Photo by: Maelanny P

As Karunan puts it, “one of the reason behind the failure of conventional approach to child labor is its too narrow focus on removal and rescue operations of children in bondage and servitude in the worst forms of child labor, with too little attention and resources invested in providing sustainable alternative livelihoods for rescued children and their families, income generation, and improving the quality, relevance, and accessibility of education and the schooling system. The approach to combat child labor must, therefore, take this variables into account” (Karunan, 2005). In consistence with that BASE provides skill development and vocational training for youth and older rescued child laborers. Parents are also given the opportunity to join income generation program which consists of agricultural training and microcredit.

In addition, BASE supports 27 schools in its 5 working districts by facilitating toilet construction, building reparation, and furniture improvement, etc. BASE also develops several model schools which now being adopted by governmental schools in different districts.

BASE regularly conducts rescue and rehabilitation program as well as awareness campaign for child laborers. In doing so, Child Friendly Village Committees, Child Clubs, Youth Groups and partners are actively engaged. Generally, the rescue is held during Maghi Festival and Dasai Festival, big Tharu and Hindu celebrations when children usually return home to meet their family.

Earlier in this year, BASE started a cooperation with local government to improve Child Friendly Villages’ quality. BASE and districts government agreed to ‘match fund’. Each of them contributes around three hundreds thousands rupees to support various interventions in CFV that I mentioned earlier.

Having said that, I believe BASE approach is an invaluable contribution to sustainably eradicate child labor problems in Nepal.

(From various sources, Karunan in Weston, 2005; UNICEF research paper; BASE Annual Report 2010)

I don’t like Sunday. I know this might sound anti-mainstream, but, trust me, it’s not. While in most countries people work from Monday to Friday, in Nepal people work from Sunday to Friday. Yeah, Sunday turned out to be my first day of working days. It always be more difficult to start the routine after a day of hanging-out-doing-nothing. But, last Sunday was different. I finally started my field visit to produce “Love Blanket” with the children.

Last Sunday, I visited nearby villages with two BASE staffs and a local artist. We planned to leave at 4 p.m, around 3 o’clock the sky covered with dark cloud. A sign of heavy rain to come. Then, strong wind came and rain showered. I was a bit worry to continue. But, we did continue after waiting for about 15 minutes. By the time we arrived, the sky was clear, wet green grasses and muddy road left out by the rain. Along the road, I was amazed, the nature rapidly changed. It was no longer arid as I crossed in early May, but fresh and green. The rain is a blessing.

Lalpur road, Dang District. Photo by: Maelanny P

Lalpur road, Dang District. Photo by: Maelanny P

My first encounter with children turned out to be beyond my expectation. I didn’t expect too high on this first field visit. I understood if children might feel tired after their whole day at school. Then, I was stunned by their enthusiasm and excitement to produce love blanket. Everyone wanted to participate and contribute something, even some youngest children. It was exhausting as well as exciting. I believe, it’s the joy of childhood to see things purely, to try out new things, to do everything in their fun way.

While waiting for the children to gather, I chatted and took some photos. Then, a boy came around, he looked like someone who has just arrived from fields with muddy spots all over his clothes. He peeped on us, then slowly joined us into the room. He was shy. He introduced himself as Onil, but later on he told us his real name as Arjun Chaudary. We asked Arjun to call his friends, he ran out, then I heard he shouted. I guess he was calling his friends. He came along with some friends. BASE local member told me that his father has passed away and his mother works as domestic worker, he has just joined schooling facilitated by BASE. I know he has this unique talent. He didn’t seems to really enjoy drawing or painting as other children did, but he helped us to collect pencils and books from his friends without even asked to do so.

A boy peeping into the room, he is Arjun Chaudary. Photo by: Maelanny P

A boy peeping into the room, he is Arjun Chaudary. Photo by: Maelanny P

The next day, I visited further village. The car crossed two fair size rivers, passed very bumpy roads, and stopped for several times to let cows, goats, lambs, or pigs cross over. In this village, I was able to meet some rescued kamalaris and produced ‘Love Blanket’ with them. They shared their story as child domestic servants to me. Most of them mentioned that they experienced beating and scolding while working as kamalari and none of them was sent to school.

Girls of Kothari Village, some of them are rescued kamalari. Photo by: Maelanny P

Girls of Kothari Village, some of them are rescued kamalari. Photo by: Maelanny P

I saw strength in their innocent eyes. I’m proud of them. I can hardly wait to meet other children and find out more surprise from them. Thank you Arjun, thank you all!

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Last Sunday, 12 June 2011, was also the ‘world day against child labor’. ILO issued a new report on children in hazardous work. The report tells that 115 of 215 million child laborers worldwide engaged in hazardous work. The biggest number is found in Asia & Pacific, followed by sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, Nepal is one of few countries where slavery—a type of ‘worst forms of child labor’—are extensively practiced. Apparently, kamalari is one of them, as thousands of kamalari still exist in western tarai (from various surveys conducted by I/NGOs).

Maghi festival marks the New Year for Tharu people in Nepal. It is celebrated in January during the cold days of the year. Maghi also signs a completely different phase for many Tharu girls in the south-western Tarai. It is during the maghi holiday that many of brokers from different cities throughout Nepal come to Tharu villages to make deal of Tharu girls to be kamalari.

In the previous post, I slightly touched upon kamalari issue. Kamalari has been prevailed since around 60 years ago, when the kamaiya system was on going. Kamaiya system abolished in 2000, but kamalari practice remains. Girls, as early as 5 or 6 year-old, forced to work around 14-16 hours a day as servants in the households of higher-caste families. They are fully responsible for various kinds of work, like cleaning, washing, cooking, babysitting, that far from any standards of proper working condition. They are easily subjected to physical and psychological abuses, even, sexual abuse. They often denied access to education. Yes, some were promised to enjoy schooling, but very little was realized.

What can we get from US$ 75? Not much, I think.

Well, you can buy a goat with those money here. But, kamalaris were sold for similar cost, even lower. The money was given to the family as the sign of contract that will be renewed per year. This means the girls will get nothing at all. They are only entitled to work, work, and work.

These girls, mostly, grew up in destitute former bonded-laborer families. The families have no choice for them and some narrow-minded-employers are taking advantage of their destitution.

A girl selling 'kafal' during holiday in Dang District, will she be kamalari? Photo by: Swarupa

A girl selling 'kafal' during holiday in Dang District. Will she be kamalari? Photo by: Swarupa

This is not an attempt to negate boys inclusion in such practice. For some reasons, there has been a wave of feminization of bonded labor. The boys might be rarely sold to be domestic worker, but we can find a lot of them in the brick kilns industry. They are all under similar circumstances, bondage, either from loan or some advance payments.

I don’t think there are any other terms best describe this practice except slavery. Maybe, you also know similar practices, but in different terms, in other countries. I suppose, the kamalari in Nepal is similar to the restavék in Haiti and the abd in Mauritania. These are some kind of modern slavery where people are sold like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their employers. (Find out more here)

Don’t we have rules to stop those horrible practice?

Apparently, we’ve got a lot of them. I mentioned prohibition of child labor on my earliest post, and we also have the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the 1956 UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery which declares forms of child labor and bonded labor are slavery.

But, all those sophisticated international legal instruments will not make any changes unless being adopted into national legislation. In 2008, UN urged Nepal to end the kamalari system. Only recently, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare of Nepal approved a bill outlining the government’s child-protection policies, which ban the practice of kamalari. However, girls are still being sold. Though it’s a criminal offense to have child slaves, the laws have no teeth, and hardly anyone is arrested or fined.

Obviously, not all children that engaged in domestic labor in Nepal constitutes bonded labor. However, once they involved, it’s difficult to get out, poverty and lack of education trap have been waiting for them. Seems that, law enforcement alone will not be effective to tackle this issue.

Many organizations, local and international, includes BASE, have been actively engaged in combating kamalari practices. They arranged campaigns, advocacy, and rehabilitation programs. BASE implements unique intervention on this matter, I will elaborate it on my another post. Keep in track!

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It has been several days after the deadline of Nepal constitutional drafting, on 28 May. Since the Constituent Assembly couldn’t meet its deadline, the parties agreed on 3 months extension. Following the constitutional deadline, there were a lot of tension and bandh (Nepali term for strike). During bandh, offices, shops, and public transports, etc are not allowed to operate. Well, I did some tricky things about this. As I needed the internet (which only be available at the office), I went to the office and stayed with door and window closed. Anyway, we moved to the new office yesterday!

This is a real story, not a fairytale. This is a story about humanity.

Every story consists of different parts. Like fitting scraps into puzzle, each part of the story counts as scrap that needs to be arranged to shape a clearer picture. But wait, in this story, the more part I knew, the more scrap I found, the more complex it became. No wonder, because it’s a reality, not a fairytale. Fairytale will come to happy ending, but human story? Who knows?

This is the story about the struggle for dignity.

Approximately, 600 years ago, a large group of people came into the Tarai area in Nepal. Tarai was characterized as wild lowland which swampy and marshy, with forest of Sal trees, not to mention its virulent strain of malaria. These people opened the jungle, built houses on elevated wooden platforms to protect themselves from dangerous animals, cultivated lands, traded timbers, lived their life in Tarai. Others have tried to settle there but failed, mainly, because of malaria. Famous of the immunity to malaria, they remained to be the only permanent inhabitant of Tarai. They are the Tharu.

Distribution of Tharus in the Tarai, Nepal

Distribution of Tharu in the Tarai, Nepal

In 1950s, Nepal Government by the support of International Development Agencies conducted malaria eradication project in the Tarai. This project marked a completely different era for the Tharus. Many people from the hills migrate to the fertile lowlands of Tarai. At the same time, land reforms was introduced as part of the post-1951 modernization sought to give the tenants of the state property rights in the land they cultivated. But this system of private property relations, whose implications many ordinary Tharu tenant farmers appear not to understood. It, then, led to the exploitation at hands of some immigrants and to the loss of land they had acquired. Throughout the Tarai, particularly in the west, Tharus have lost control of land either through outright fraud, manipulation or indebtedness. In the western Tarai, many of them have been reduced to the status of bonded labor (the so-called kamaiya system).

In the Kamaiya system, every part of the Tharu family has his/her own role. Father and son responsible for farming and agriculture, while mother and daughter work as domestic worker. Girl who work as domestic assistance is also known as kamalari. Kamaiya system forced Tharus to work as bonded laborers to pay their debt to the landowners. If a man unable to pay off the debt, it’s automatically transferred to his son. This debt bondage was also reinforced by Nepal’s legal code. In all cases the landlord was free to pay his bonded laborers as much as he wants. Generally, landlords kept the wages as low as possible, forcing bonded laborers to keep borrowing money from them. Thus, most of bonded laborers keep falling deeper into debt. Besides, bonded laborers could possibly be transferred to another landlord simply by paying off their debts to the former landowner. Every year, thousand of Tharus were bought and sold in this way in the Dang-Deukhuri, Bardiya, Kailali, Banke and Kanchanpur Districts of western Tarai of Nepal. Even though, data from the Government of Nepal showed a smaller number, most of the studies agree that in 1995 total number of bonded laborers in the western Tarai was estimated to be around 100,000—most likely the difference occurred because the government data didn’t take account women, children, and older kamaiyas. Thus, this system was equivalent to a form of slavery that is designed to maintain a source of cheap labor for landlords.

Brought up in unjust situation, Tharu youths didn’t keep silent. A seventeen-year-old Tharu named Dilli Bahadhur Chaudary, established a development organization for their community. This organization began with 34 members, most young Tharu men from Dumrigaon and neighboring villages. Within a month of its inception the Dumrigaon Organization established a literacy class for uneducated local Tharu villagers, organization members also made plans to implement an income generating program, and launch a political campaign against oppression. Suspected as rebel, the government of Nepal threw Dilli into jail twice under the Public Security Act, and forced him to stop his organization. But, Dilli never stop. This organization, then, well known as BASE (Backward Society Education).

Together with various organizations, local and international, BASE actively campaigned for justice for bonded laborers. Then, in July 2000, kamaiya system was abolished by the Government of Nepal, followed by the enforcement of prohibition for kamaiya Labor Act in 2002. The government of Nepal also implemented Landless People Resettlement Program and other similar programs for the recovery of ex-kamaiyas.

Ex-Kamaiya Family in front of their house in Bardiya District, Photo: Kan Yan, AP Fellow 2009

Ex-Kamaiya Family in front of their house in Bardiya District, Photo: Kan Yan, AP Fellow 2009

Today. The struggle is far from end.

Many kamaiyas were liberated from their former landlords and released into poverty without any support. Others received land that was unproductive. Many ex-kamaiya families still live in chronic poverty; a lot of them settle in very remote area without access to water, electricity, and other basic needs; girls (the kamalari) are sent to the city to have a better life, but end up working day and night without education and easily exposed to abuse. Poverty, illiteracy, marginalization, and discrimination form a vicious circle that trap the ex-kamaiyas, it makes very difficult for them to escape.

There are a lot left to do.

(From various sources: Guneratne, 2002; Cox,1994 ; ILO Reports, World Organization Against Torture Report, 2005; etc)

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We are developing BASE Facebook fan page. Join us to support BASE and marginalized community here to continue their struggle for dignity.

I wrote this post accompanied by my first heavy rain and strong wind in Tulsipur. The monsoon period has not came yet, but we’ve had several heavy rains. It’s strange. Anyway, I’m glad for my first tropical rain after more than 8 months in the subtropics area. I enjoy the view of water pouring down, the feeling of temperature going down, the sound of water touching the ground while thunders interrupt, and the fresh smell of wet soil and grass.

I usually spend my day at BASE office, planning, organizing, researching, writing, etc. BASE will have a new office. Its own office,  not a lease anymore. We will be moving in soon.

BASE Office

BASE New Office

The office might look pretty small and casual. But, the heart of BASE people are extra-ordinarily big to struggle for their community.

I stay not far from the office, only 3-5 minutes by walk. This so called ‘guest house’ is simple and basic. It lies on the second floor. My room is big enough to be occupied by a person. So far, I haven’t shared the room with anyone, but maybe soon I will have roommate, as BASE has many visitors with various purposes.

Guest House where I stay in Tulsipur

Backyard view from the Guest House

I was hesitant to enter the food stalls here. Seriously, it’s not the type of food stall you might want to visit. But then, I get used to it. As the quote says, “don’t judge a book by its cover”, some of them do serve good foods. Well, I know a bit more lavish one at ‘The Green Peace Hotel’. Note, it has nothing to do with an environmental INGO.

Now, I can proudly say I know some Nepali foods, struggling to remember their names though.

Rice or Roti?

Tandoori Roti and Yoghurt

Chicken Thali

Plus drink and dessert.

Nepali Chiya Tea

Nepali special dessert: grains, sugar, and nutmegs

And, the sweets.

Rasmalai, my favourite sweets

Laddu, another type of sweets

Some foods and sweets are adopted from India, not to mention the music and movies as well. But, chowmein is definitely adopted from China. What about Momo? Hmm…

Tusipur Chowmein

Momo, Nepali dumpling

Some more interesting sights

Tharu Women in Traditional Dress Photo: Maelanny P

The women march along the road. I don’t know what do they carry on top of their head, something like pipe, some other stuffs covered by white fabric. All I can see is it looks heavy.

Who says that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) only for big corporations?

CSR: Free Water for Everyone

In the middle of a busy shopping street as well as one of the main road in Tulsipur, there is a small tent with a big tank and the crowd. They line up to get a big cup of fresh drinking water. An owner of an hotel in Tulsipur provides drinking water for everyone.

What about these children?

I saw this boy when I visited a restaurant for lunch. He washed dishes, served meals, cleaned up the tables.

A boy work at restaurant in Tulsipur

These children and women carry rocks for the road construction.

Children carry rocks for road construction

Yes, these children are working children. I’m not sure about their age, family and education. For sure, BASE has tried to talk to the employer. I hope it will work.

I’m in the process of writing an entry about bonded (child) labors in the Tarai area, where the Tharus indigenous people live, but then I consider why don’t give a more general view on child labor in Nepal before it. So, as an introduction to bonded (child) labors in Tarai area I post this entry.

Child Labor in Numbers:

*Statistics shows that of about 7 million children between 5-14 years old working in Nepal, about 3 million are found to be regularly working and 1.7 million children are found to be economically active.

*Almost two fifths children of school-going age are economically active.

*The number of child laborers is estimated at around 2,060,000 where about, 94.7% are involved in agriculture and household work and the remaining 5% are engaged in service and manufacturing industries. For every 100 children in the 6-14 years age group, 4-5 are engaged in paid work.

*CWCD in 1998 found that 71% of rural, 52% of urban and 63% of Kamaiya children are economically active.

*According to the ILO-sponsored national survey, of the 6.2 million children between the ages of 5-14 years, 2,596,000 are child workers, which forms 41.7% of this age group.

*Of 2.59 million working children, 278,000 or 4.5% of all Nepali children are in paid work and 1.38 million or 22.2% of all children are in unpaid work.

Worst Forms of Child Labor in Numbers:

This part shows statistical data on some types of child labor which categorized as the worst forms of child labor by ILO.

Note: As I mentioned in my earlier entry, Kamaiya system is one of the bonded labor system, generally in the agriculture sector, in Nepal. The people, usually the whole family, which employed under this system have to work to pay off debts incurred by their ancestors. Working condition under this system is far from decent.

Source: flickr

Source: flickr

*The number of bonded children is estimated at 33,000.

*40,000 children are estimated to be in debt-bondage.

*40,000 Nepalese girls under 16 in Indian brothels are forced into prostitution

*More than 9,000 girls are trafficked each year from Nepal and Bangladesh into bondage in India and Pakistan, often with the acquiescence or cooperation of state officials

*It is estimated that at least 1 million children in Nepal are working as child laborers in difficult circumstances, often as slaves in carpet factories, brick kilns, domestic service, agriculture, plantation, construction, transportation, stone quarry, mines and as migrant workers.

*Available data suggests that approximately 7,000 girls between 10 -18 are lured or abducted into prostitution each year. In many cases, parents or relatives sell young girls into sexual slavery

*Among the Kamaiya families the number of children working under the system is reported to be about 13,000.

(Source: http://www.globalmarch.org/worstformsreport/world/nepal.html )

The temperature was hot. It was around 32 degrees Celsius when I landed in Nepalganj. Many people were lining up in the backyard of a blue building which is the airport. The airport is small and simple. The airport crew handed out our baggage to be claimed. There was an hour delay, I wasn’t sure about the reason, someone sat beside me explained that domestic flights always be late.

It was my second day in Nepal. Before, I stayed a night at Thamel district after my long flight from Oslo through Moscow and Delhi.

Sangita from BASE picked me at Nepalganj airport. After lunch, we headed to the bus terminal. She stopped a cycle rickshaw. I and Sangita with two big bags sat on the rickshaw drawn by a thin man. I felt terrible.

I used to travel with ‘becak’ in Indonesia, so it wasn’t a big surprise for me to ride the rickshaw.

Rickshaw in Nepalganj

Indonesian Rickshaw or 'becak' Photo: roundtriptoparadise.blogspot.com

But wait, this rickshaw is operated on the main road, competing with buses, trucks, cars, etc. It made me a bit (or more) worried at that time. When the rickshaw were passing through big buses or trucks which generously honking their horn, I (literally) closed my eyes.

It took about 5 hours to reach Tulsipur from Nepalganj with an overload micro buss. Whenever the bus was stopping, many sellers came by. Many of them were children, they offered fruits, ice cream, drinks, etc. It was Friday afternoon, I hope that they have finished their classes at the school before selling those things. I saw a young couple entering the buss. I didn’t really notice them at the first place. But, because the girl wore a beautiful blinking red dress, quite similar to the dress of Indian bride that I saw from the movies, they took my attention. Sangita told me that they just got married and the husband took the wife to his house. Hmm, interesting!

I didn’t really believe it until I witnessed it myself.

My Nepalese friends in Oslo mentioned that Nepal has problem with power shortage. They said, it will only be available for some hours per day. I thought it happen just in particular areas in Nepal. But, I was wrong.

I wasn’t really affected by the blackouts in Kathmandu, I think because the hostel put on their generator. Upon my arrival in Tulsipur, the electricity was off. They have schedule for the blackouts. Fortunately, since my second day here,  we have longer time of electricity than on the schedule. Power shortage for this whole country is a big challenge.

Only several days left to my departure. I spend my time by finishing the preparation, includes, researching on the topic which I will work on during summer time in Nepal. Child labor, yes, it is. One time, I had a conversation with some of my friends during lunch break. One of them asked me about my internship, then we started to discuss about child labor. She told me that she used to help her family in the plantation area when she was a child, then she wondered if it’s fall under child labor concept.

If I mention ‘child labor’, what would you imagine?

I suppose the image of scavenging, backbreaking work on a construction site, long hours in a carpet factory, or even child prostitution.

Do you know Charles Dickens’s novels? For me, I’m familiar with Oliver Twist, maybe because I watched the movie. I share the opinion that Dickens’ story about his childhood as a poor boy who worked long hour in a poor condition, partly, shaped the popular image of child labor. Then the question would be whether it’s totally unacceptable for children who live in poverty to work and improve their economic condition. Well, not really improve, even maybe in some cases, to support their family life. I’m not saying that it is acceptable as well.

There are some discussions on child labor concept. Some says light works after school or in school holidays, will be helpful for skill acquisition, while they exclude part-time engagement in such horrendous activities as child prostitution. Some might disagree. This can be a two-hour-lecture only to explain this. Anyway, I’m not going to do it. To make things clearer, I will cite little pieces of international legal instruments regarding child labor. The ILO Convention No. 138/1973 acknowledges children’s participation in economic activity, based on its minimum age, which does not negatively affect their health and development or interfere with education, can be positive. As follow up step on the ILO Convention 138 and Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1999, ILO defines the worst forms of child labor, under the convention no. 182/1999.

So, having in mind those conventions and some articles, I can say that there are some key elements of child labor, such as, age range of the children, exploitation aspect, and time allocation of the work, includes school enrollment. Of course, in the real case, it will include wider and more complicated aspects. I found an interesting and easy-to-read webpage about child labor, you can check it out here.

Have you heard about Haruwa/Charuwa or Kamalhari?

It’s the term for traditional system of bonded labor in Nepal. Big amount of the children suffers from different types of child labor. In Terai area, mid and western region of Nepal, includes Dang district, where many Tharu people live, the practice of kamalhari is extensive. If you want to know more, you can read BASE’s website and previous fellows’ blogs, Adrianne Henck & Karrie Cross.

Photo from Spiegel International

I will leave it that way for now. But for sure, this summer, I will explore the complexity of child labor in real. So, let me take you into my journey in a district called Dang in the western part of Nepal.