Project Title |
Sustainable Elimination of Bonded Labor in Nepal |
ILAB Program |
International Child Labor Technical Assistance |
Region/Country |
ASIA/Nepal |
Project Duration |
December 1, 2000 – August 31, 2005 (completed) |
Fiscal Year & Funding Level |
FY 2000: USD 1,618,465 (revised) |
Problem to be Addressed |
A system of agricultural bonded labor known as Kamaiya was prevalent in Nepal until July 2001, when HMG/Nepal declared the practice illegal and freed bonded laborers from any debt and written/oral contracts with their landlords. Short and long-term rehabilitation assistance is necessary to provide these Kamaiya families with alternative opportunities. |
Results |
The project withdrew 644 children and prevented 14,720 children from bonded labor in eight districts in the far, mid-western, and western regions of Nepal. |
Project Objectives |
Contribute to the eradication of bonded labor and the rehabilitation of bonded laborers in Nepal by 2005.
Intermediate Objectives:
- Strengthen the capacity of government and non-government organizations to create the enabling environment for the effective rehabilitation of bonded laborers;
- Raise awareness among local and national actors (including agricultural workers, landowners, employers, and governmental authorities) on effective mechanisms for rehabilitating adult and child-bonded laborers;
- Enable 14,000 former Kamaiya families in the bonded labor-prone districts of western Nepal to reintegrate into their communities; and
- School-age children of bonded laborers and bonded child laborers receive appropriate, high quality education and are fully integrated into their schools and communities.
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Summary of Activities |
- Strengthened capacity of district and national-level organizations to formulate policy and programs for bonded laborers and bonded child laborers, through needs assessments, workshops and support for policy-making activities and advocacy;
- Developed mechanisms for effective application of national and international labour standards for agriculture workers in intervened districts, including provision of workers education programs and campaign for identified labor standards through media and workers and employers organizations;
- Strengthened capacity of agricultural workers organizations at the district and national level to address the problem of agriculture laborers;
- Rehabilitated bonded labor families and their children by providing counseling and health services, skills/vocational training, and development of economic alternatives and support for income generating activities;
- Mainstreamed children of bonded laborers and bonded child laborers into the formal school system;
- Provided non-formal education to children and adults; and
- Conducted a situation analysis of the incidence of Kamaiyas in bonded labor-prone districts and dissemination of information.
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Grantee |
International Labor Organization’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC) |
Implementing Partners |
Ministry of Land Reform and Management (MOLRM);
Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MOL);
Ministry of Education (MOE); Worldview International Foundation; Shree Tarun Club; Rural Reconstruction Nepal; Group for International Solidarity; Creation of Creative Society; Boat for Community Development; Backward Society Education; other government and nongovernmental agencies, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and community groups |
Contact Information |
Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
(202) 693-4843 |
