International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) International Labour Organization (ILO) Kathmandu, Nepal CHILD LABOUR SITUATION IN NEPAL (Report From Migration and Employment Survey, 1995/96) by Bhim Raj Suwal Bal Kumar KC Keshab Prasad Adhikari CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF POPULATION STUDIES TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY KATHMANDU NEPAL September, 1997 Acknowledgments The study on Child Labour Situation in Nepal was carried out in 1996 as a sub-set of a larger study on Employment Situation in Nepal. While administering questionnaire survey in the field, children between ages 5-14 years were given special attention. The overall questionnaire content was the same as that for the larger survey. Dummy tables for the child labour study were from the ILO Office which sponsored this particular study. No attempt was made to go over and beyond the scope of the questionnaire content of the Employment Survey. All faculty members of the Central Department of Population Studies (CDPS) have been involved in the overall operation and finalization of the larger baseline survey on Employment of which this particular study is a sub-set. Their contribution is highly commendable. I am very grateful to Mr. H. Ghosh, Sub-regional Advisor of ILO for initiating the project and providing every assistance available. I am highly indebted to Dr. R. H. Choudhary, Member of CST, UNFPA Regional Office in Kathmandu for conceptualizing the project and finalizing the questionnaire. Mr. Kebebew Ashagrie, Chief, Statistics of Employment & Unemployment and Technical Cooperation, Bureau of Statistics, International Labour Office, Geneva, had been instrumental in guiding our faculty through various steps of write up to finalize the report. CDPS owes tremendous debt to him. Finally, Mr. Bhim Raj Suwal, Lecturer of CDPS, deserves special thanks for tabulating and preparing the report in consultation with Mr. Ashagrie. Any further correction or comment by ILO to improve the report will be highly appreciated. Dr. Bal Kumar KC Project Director i NATIONAL MIGRATION AND EMPLOYMENT (ME) AND BIRTH, DEATH AND CONTRACEPTION (BDC) STUDY, 1995/96 Research Team SN Name Status Study 1 Dr. Bal Kumar KC Project Director MEBDC Study Principal Investigator Migration and Child Labour Study 2 Dr. Parthiveshor P. Timilsina Principal Investigator Employment Study 3 Dr. Devendra Chhetry Chief Data Management MEBDC Study Expert 4 Dr. Pitamber Rawal Co-Investigator Employment Study 5 Dr. Prakash D. Pant Principal Investigator BDC Study 6 Dr. Bhim Prasad Subedi Co-Investigator Migration Study 7 Mr. Bhim Raj Suwal Co-Investigator Child Labour Study Research Team Member ME Study 8 Mr. Govinda Subedi Co-Investigator BDC Study Research Team Member ME Study 9 Mr. Prem Singh Bisht Research Team Member MEBDC Study 10 Mr. Pushp Kamal Subedi Research Team Member MEBDC Study 11 Mr. Rudra Prasad Gautam Research Team Member MEBDC Study 12 Mr. Bidhan Acharya Research Team Member MEBDC Study 13 Mr. Yogendra B. Gurung Research Team Member MEBDC Study 14 Mr. Keshab P. Adhikari Research Team Member MEBDC Study 15 Mr. Bal K. Mabuhang Research Team Member MEBDC Study 16 Mr. Dhanendra V. Shakya Research Assistant MEBDC Study 17 Ms. Laxmi Limbu Research Assistant MEBDC Study 18 Ms. Indira Phuyal Research Assistant MEBDC Study ii Table of Contents Page Acknowledgements i Research Team ii Table of Contents iii List of Tables v Executive Summary vii Chapter I BACKGROUND 1 1.1 The Context 1 1.2 Conceptual Issues 3 1.3 The Survey 4 1.4 Objectives 6 1.5 Concepts and Definitions 6 Chapter II METHODOLOGY 7 2.1 Stratification 7 2.2 Selection Procedure 8 2.3 Sample Size 8 2.3.1 Household Selection Rule 10 2.4 Sample Information 10 2.5 Operational Procedure 12 2.5.1 Contents of Questionnaire 12 2.5.2 Pre-testing 13 2.5.3 Hiring and Training of Supervisors and Interviewers 13 2.5.4 Field Enumeration 14 2.5.5 Data Management 16 2.6 Weight 17 2.7 Techniques of Data Analysis 17 2.8 Sample Statistics 18 2.9 Demographic-Socioeconomic Characteristics of Sample Population 20 Chapter III ACTIVITIES OF THE CHILDREN 24 A. How Many Children Work? 29 B. Economically Active Children 37 iii C. Economically Active Children by Paid and Unpaid Activities 43 D. Economically Active Children by Types of work 50 E. Economically Active Children by Number of Working Hours 56 F. Children in Noneconomic Activities 63 G. Idle (Doing Nothing) Children 67 Chapter IV SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 70 References 77 Annexes 78 iv List of Tables Page Table 2.1 Sample Selection Stages for the M/E Survey, 1995/96 9 Table 2.2 Distribution of Sample Households for Ecological Zones and Development Regions by Rural/Urban Residence, M/E Survey, 1995/96 11 Table 2.3 Distribution of Sample Households with at Least One Child Aged 5-14 Years Out of the Households Selected for M/E Survey, 1995/96 11 Table 2.4 Sample Statistics for Some Selected Variables by Rural-Urban Residence, M/E Survey, 1995/96 19 Table 2.5 Age-Sex Composition of the Household Population, Nepal, 1995/96 20 Table 2.6 Children 5-14 Years Old by Literacy and Education Attainment, Nepal, 21 1995/96 Table 2.7 Children 5-14 Years Old by Principal Occupation Status, Nepal, 1995/96 22 Table 2.8 Children 5-14 Years Old by Migration Status, Nepal, 1995/96 23 Table 3.1 Estimates of the Working Children Aged 5-14 Years Who Worked Most 34 of the Year and Their Work Participation Rate by Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.2 Estimates of the Economically Active Children Aged 5-14 Years Who 35 Worked Most of the Year by Type of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.3 Work Participation Rate of the Children Aged 5-14 Years Who Worked 36 During Most of the Year by Type of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.4 Estimates of the Economically Active Children Aged 5-14 Years Who 41 Worked Most of the Year by Type of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.5 Economic Participation Rate of the Children Aged 5-14 Years Who 42 Worked Most of the Years by Types of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.6 Estimates of the Children Aged 5-14 Years Engaged in Paid Activities 46 Most of the Year by Types of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.7 Participation Rate of the Children Aged 5-14 Years Engaged in Paid 47 Economic Activities Most of the Year by Types of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.8 Estimates of the Children Aged 5-14 Years Engaged in Unpaid Activities 48 v Most of the Years by Types of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.9 Participation Rate of the Children Aged 5-14 Year Engaged in Unpaid 49 Economic Activities Most of the Year by Type of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.10 Estimates of the Economically Active Children Aged 5-14 years by 53 Types of Work During Last Week of the Survey by Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.11 Percentage Distribution of the Economically Active Children Aged 5-14 54 Years by Types of Work During the Last Week of the Survey by Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.12 Estimates of the Economically Active Children Aged 5-14 Years by 59 Number of Working Hours During the Last Week of the Survey and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.13 Percentage Distribution of the Economically Active Children Aged 5-14 61 Years by Number of Working Hours During the Last Week of the Survey and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.14 Estimates of the Number of Children Engaged in Noneconomic Activities 65 Most of the Year by Types of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.15 Participation Rate of the Children 5-14 Years in Noneconomic Activities 66 Most of the Year by Types of Activities and Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 Table 3.16 Estimates of the Idle Children (Doing Nothing) Aged 5-14 Years Most of 69 the Year by Background Characteristics, Nepal, 1995/96 vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report focuses on the study on child labour situation in Nepal with nationally representative sample. The present study is not from a separate survey on child labour but as a piggy bag of the Employment Survey, 1995/96. Samples were selected separately from rural and urban areas of Nepal. Probability proportionate to size, pps, procedure was adopted for the selection of sample from both rural and urban areas where the measure of size being the household counts of rural/urban wards. The main objective of this study is to find out level, pattern, and differentials in child labour in Nepal. This study is based on the economic explanation of child labour. Estimates of child labour is primarily based on their participation in economic activities in both absolute as well as relative terms. However, the report provides further analysis of economically active children by their current school attendance, types of work and number of working hours in assessing the extent of child labour in the country. For this purpose, decomposition techniques are applied to make the sample values as equivalent to population. There are 2.6 M Working Children in Nepal It is estimated that there are 6.2 M child population (29.1% of total population) in Nepal as of early 1996, out of which approximately 2.6 M children worked during one year preceding the survey.