The children have been employed by the Rural Road Infrastructure and Decentralization Project initiated by the DDC. The children work from early in the morning till evening to construct the Rs 16 million bridge over the Kothekhola River. [break]
Many of these children do not even know that their daily wage is.
“I came to work with my brother-in-law. I don´t know about the daily wage,” said Prakash Gurung, 16, of Chitwan.
Gurung, who is a fourth grader, said he came to work so as to manage two square meals a day.
Raju Chepang, 15, of Dhading is also doing hard labor here. Chepang, a sixth grader, left studies for work. “My father takes the wage that I earn. I think I make two to three hundred rupees a day,” he said.
Adults working in the project make Rs 350 every day. Child rights activist Ram Sharma says the contractor disregarded the law finding the prospect of employing children for low wages attractive. “The law is being flouted even though the state ensures education and health services to children. Children cannot be used for dangerous labor,” he added.
In a contract signed by the construction company with the DDC, it is clearly mentioned that minors will not be used for labor. However, lack of monitoring has allowed the contractor to employ minors.
The Jayababa, Nagarjun and Nayabato firms are the contractors of the project. The contractors´ representative Balram Shrestha said the children are only accompanying their guardians, and not working.
“The children came for fun,” Shrestha said. “We have not used them for hard labor.”
But DDC engineer Nirajan Gauri said it is difficult to follow policies. “If we send them back, they will not be able to afford two meals a day.”
District Child Welfare Officer Laxmi GC said action would be taken if children are found to be used in risky jobs.
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