child labour

CHILD LABOUR
SITUATION OF CHILDREN
Nepal is a country that is counted in one of the underdeveloped countries. The per capita income of Nepalese is around $240 only, which means that the majority of the population is below poverty line. Poverty is the difficulty faced by the Nepalese children. The street children are growing rapidly in Kathmandu valley then in that of other parts of the country. The places like durbar square, and open plaza near the city center are the main area where the between ten to twenty boys beg and sleep. It is an alarming and unfortunate reality that we are facing today.
The word street children are composed of two different words “Street and Children”. The definition of street is no longer limited to a path from one place to another of its common area of land which can be used by anyone to move. The word child means anyone the age between 0-18(according to UN convention in the rights of child). The law of Nepal says a child is a human being whose age is below 16. Children can also be defined as that part that needs protection, survival, participation, and development. But street children are those who don’t have anyone to look after them and they live in the street with their miserable and difficult life. They represent one of the most marginalized and vulnerable groups of society.
Street children are often treated as vagabonds who are aberrant in nature, violent, unconcerned about other people, pick-picketers etc. by the various social members. This is a very unfortunate situation for the country as this in a major factor that brings about a psychological change in them which make them go against the society.
The problem of street children is universal. An estimation of 120 million children lives on the streets world wide according to the WHO. The report based on a survey of street children in 10 cities around the world found that there are about 40 million street children in Latin America, 15.30 million in Asia, more than 10 million in Africa and 20-25 million in developed nations. These growing numbers of street children in recent decades are because of wide spread recessions, civil unrest, poverty, poor economic conditions and natural disasters.