† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

Children at Higher Risk

Unhoused children are highly vulnerable to human trafficking, especially sex trafficking. Moreover, children in Nepal's unregistered shelters are exploited in forced begging. These children are also trafficked into exploitative or fraudulent orphanages where they are used to solicit money from foreign donors. The majority of children working in seasonal brick kilns in Nepal are from India and Nepal. Stateless children and those from marginalized groups such as the Dalit and Madhesi communities, indigenous groups, and from provinces with low human development index scores such as Karnali and Sudurpashchim are also highly vulnerable to human trafficking and child labor. Extreme weather events, such as flooding and landslides, have increased Nepali children's vulnerability to child labor in sectors such as brick kilns, domestic service, and carpet manufacturing.

Barriers to Education Access

Children, particularly girls, face barriers to accessing education due to a shortage of sanitation facilities, geographic distances, costs associated with schooling, household chores, and an absence of parental support. In Nepal, a lack of separate toilet facilities for girls deters them from attending school, especially when they are menstruating. Children with disabilities face additional barriers to accessing education, including unsuitable school infrastructure. Refugee children in Nepal face obstacles in enrolling in school because of lack of access to official documentation required by the Nepali government. The government, however, allows NGOs to provide primary- and secondary-level schooling to refugee children without documentation. Catastrophic flooding has hindered children's access to school facilities and safe learning spaces.

* Country has no conscription

During the reporting period, Nepal expanded its hazardous work list to include brickmaking and stone breaking, sectors in which there is evidence that work involves carrying heavy loads and workers are exposed to hazardous substances. Nepal's National Master Plan on Child Labor (2018–2028) has also identified children working in brick kilns as a group particularly vulnerable to hazardous child labor. The minimum age for hazardous work is not consistent with international standards because it does not prohibit children aged 17 from engaging in hazardous work. In addition, the law related to child trafficking is insufficient because it does not clearly criminalize the recruitment, harboring, receipt, or transportation of children in the absence of force, fraud, or coercion. Furthermore, although the Constitution prohibits the recruitment of children by non-state armed groups, there is no specific legislation penalizing this practice. Finally, the laws ensuring free education up to the secondary level are insufficient because they are limited to citizens.

In 2024, 22 labor inspectors conducted 3,888 worksite inspections, finding an unknown number of child labor violations. While the police registered 17 cases of child trafficking and 2,197 cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation, it is unknown whether investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor were conducted, prosecutions were initiated, or perpetrators were convicted.

* Policy was approved during the reporting period.
† The government had other policies that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor.

‡ Program is funded by the Government of Nepal.
† The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor.

Download the 2024 Bibliography