Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Nepal (Ratification: 2002)

Articles 3(a) and 7(2)(a) and (b) of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour and time-bound measures to provide direct assistance for the removal, rehabilitation and social integration of children. Child bonded labour (agricultural-based bonded labour practices and domestic work). With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that a Bill for an Integrated Law on Forced Labour, which will regulate the prevention, protection and provision of remedies to victims of bonded labour, has been drafted and is currently under inter-ministerial review. The Committee further takes note of the Government’s continued efforts to ensure that child victims of bonded labour receive adequate assistance for their rehabilitation and social integration, including: (1) the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (MOLMCPA) is in the process of formulating policies and rehabilitation guidelines for communities most exposed to bonded labour; (2) the MOLMCPA has issued identity cards to facilitate access to services for 15,172 Mukta Haliya and Kamlari families; (3) the Department of Education allocated resources for the continued educational support of Kamlari children, including through residential and non-residential scholarships; (4) the Sudurphaschim Province has formally endorsed guidelines for the rehabilitation of bonded labourers, and similar guidelines are being prepared in the Lumbini Province; (5) the Madhesh Province has prioritized, in its 2023 programme, the identification and verification of, and data collection on, Haruwa-Charuwa families; and (6) the Suklaphata Municipality in Kanchanpur District has drafted a procedure for the rehabilitation of Kamaiya and Haliya families and allocated 50 million Nepalese rupees (approximately US$350,000 dollars) to build houses for 25 Haliya families. It has already supported 11 families with house construction, and provided 75 Haliya children with scholarships and educational materials. The Committee notes the Government’s efforts and encourages it to continue taking measures to ensure that all child victims of bonded labour receive appropriate services for their rehabilitation and social integration, including by ensuring they have access to free basic education. It requests the Government to continue providing information on the measures taken in this regard and on the results achieved.

Article 3(b). Use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution. The Committee previously noted, from a report of Alliance 8.7 entitled “Understanding Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Nepal”, 2018, that an estimated 13,000 people engaged in the adult entertainment sector started working as children under 18 years of age. The Committee notes that the Government indicates that statistics on this issue are unavailable but that a data system will be developed to monitor and report on the exact number of children engaged in the entertainment industry. The Committee notes the Government’s additional information that: (1) the Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau reported 197 rescues for the period 2022 to 2024, including 61 girls rescued from the entertainment sector; (2) according to data from the Nepal Police, for 2022–23, 2,144 child victims of sexual violence were reported, including 17.1 per cent involving sexual exploitation, and for 2023-2024, 2,376 child victims were reported including 16.6 per cent involving sexual exploitation; and (3) civil society organizations play a key role in the removal, rehabilitation and social integration of child victims. The Committee once again requests the Government to take the necessary measures to develop and put in place, as soon as possible, a data system on children engaged in commercial sexual exploitation, including in the entertainment industry, and to provide the statistics collected, once they are available. The Committee also requests the Government to provide more detailed information on: (i) the measures taken to ensure that child victims of prostitution are provided with appropriate assistance to ensure their rehabilitation and social integration, including specific information on the assistance provided to the 61 girls identified in the entertainment sector between 2022 and 2024; (ii) the measures taken to prevent this worst form of child labour; and (iii) the follow-up given to the cases of child sexual exploitation reported to the Nepal Police between 2022 and 2024.

Clause (d). Hazardous work in brick kilns. With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes that the list of hazardous work prohibited to children under 16was updated to include work in brick kilns. It further notes the Government’s statement that it has been intensifying its efforts to eliminate child labour in the brick kiln industry by enhancing coordination among relevant sectors, conducting regular inspections (262 inspections were undertaken in brick kilns between 2022 and 2025), and taking prompt action to identify and rescue affected children and ensure they are provided with education and rehabilitation support. The Government adds that in 2023, the ILO supported a non-governmental organization for the implementation of a Child Labour Elimination Programme targeting 20 brick kilns with some of the key achievements being: (1) 17 early childhood development centres were established on kiln premises; (2) education support was provided to 503 children with 128 school-age children enrolled in community schools; and (3) 94 children were identified as being in child labour in brick kilns and were removed from such work.

While taking note of the measures taken by the Government, the Committee recalls that a 2021 report on the employment relationship survey in the brick kiln industry in Nepal exposed that 10 per cent of workers in brick kilns were children (approximately 17,738 child workers), and that labour exploitation was prevalent in this sector. The Committee therefore once again urges the Government to redouble its efforts to prevent all children under 18 years of age from working in the brick kiln industry and remove child victims from this worst form of child labour and provide for their rehabilitation and social integration. It also requests the Government to continue to provide information on the number of inspections undertaken in brick kilns and to indicate the number of violations detected with regard to children engaged in hazardous work in this sector and the types of penalties imposed.

Articles 5, 7(1) and 7(2)(b). Monitoring mechanisms, penalties and direct assistance for child victims of the worst forms of child labour. Trafficking. The Committee welcomes the detailed information provided by the Government, in reply to its previous comments. In particular, it notes that: (1) the Human Trafficking and Transportation Control Act has been amended in line with the Palermo Protocol, clearly defining child trafficking and enhancing victim compensation; (2) a National Action Plan on Human Trafficking (2025-2032) has been drafted; (3) the Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau (AHTB) of the Nepal Police has developed a centralized a digital database system to record and manage trafficking cases; (4) between 2022 and 2024, the AHTB provided 685 capacity-building training sessions for police investigators and conducted 35 awareness-raising events and seven coordination meetings; (5) female police officers have been assigned to all 77 districts of the country to follow internal victim identification guidelines and refer survivors to appropriate service providers, including one-stop emergency centres for shelter, legal aid, and medical support; (6) there are five dedicated rehabilitation centres for trafficking survivors currently housing 1,200 children; (7) the Missing Children Service Centres (MCSCs) which operate in partnership with the Nepal Police and provide support and services to child victims of trafficking and exploitation, continue to be operational, and their expansion is under way, in collaboration with the National Child Rights Council; and 8) the Nepal Police registered 145 cases of child trafficking over the period 2022–24, involving 46 girl victims and leading to 173 arrests. The Committee requests the Government to continue its efforts to combat trafficking in children and to rescue child victims of trafficking and rehabilitate and socially integrate them, and to continue to provide information on the measures taken in this regard and the results achieved. It also requests the Government to continue to provide statistical data on the number and nature of offences reported, as well as on investigations, prosecutions, convictions and penal sanctions imposed with regard to the trafficking of children under 18 years of age.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.