On the 4th of September, CWISH, our partner organisation Nepal, organised an interesting session on the topics of child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in Nepal. The session included participants from politics, civil society and children from our Children Advisory’s Committees (CACs).
The networks “National Child Protection Alliance” (NCPA), “Forced Labour Elimination Advocacy Group” (FLeAG), and “Alliance Against Trafficking Women and Children” (AATWIN) each presented the situation of child labour, forced labour, and human trafficking in Nepal, formulating recommendations to the government.
The influential Alliance 8.7 Secretariat provided information about the work they are doing to end child labour.
The stakeholders included the situation of children in Nepal in their presentations. For example, NCPA underlined that in 2021, 1,1 million children were still included in child labour, even though the government formulated the ambitious goal to end the worst forms of child labour by 2022 and all forms of child labour by 2025. The organisations presented additional demands to the government for effectively protecting children, including an effective plan, an appropriate budget, and the availability of safe houses in all areas.
Our CAC members also had the opportunity to raise their voices. Manoj emphasised the urgency of protecting children’s rights, while another girl highlighted the provision of skill-based jobs for parents, contributing to the long-term reduction of child labour cases .
For CWISH, it was a very successful and enlightening session, with all invited stakeholders present. It provided another valuable opportunity for children to advocate for themselves. A political decision-maker presented some planned measures to improve the situation of working children, acknowledging that there is still room for improvement at the political level.
We hope for a continual improvement in the situation of working children and the guarantee of human rights in the near future. It is essential to continue holding decision-makers accountable and advocating for our issues to ensure a better future for all of us. We thank all those involved for their determined commitment!