Initial Observational Research on Children Working in Tea Shops in Nepal

CHILDREN WORKING IN TEA SHOPS OF KATHMANDUShea Zhao

BACKGROUND Most children who work in tea shops not apart of the family; from outside of KTM Estimated that 5,000 child labourers employed in hotels & restaurants in

Kathmandu Valley & 95% are male; most are under 15 90% are internal migrants from outside of Kathmandu valley & 6% are from

India About 79% left home to find work by the age of 14 Abuse

69% experience verbal & physical abuse & neglect Main perpetrators of abuse: employers, senior co-workers, & sometimes

customers & unknown people Over 93% don’t know who to contact if they face intolerable abuse

Desire for School 49% want to be re-admitted to school; 35% would like skill development

training 70% showed ability to share the cost wholly or partially if less than Rs.

5000/year. 80% ever admitted to school, 4.5% currently admitted

Knowledge of Rights 81% know nothing about the concept of child rights; 80% have no

knowledge of child labour laws

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Children who work in teashops work on average of 12 hours per day. (WFCL)

Most not living with their parents or family while working

Work seems to interfere with school 96% out of school (those in school only went if

they had free time) 84% have been admitted to school in the past,

but most dropped out in primary classes (1-5)

CULTURAL CONTEXT

Majority of clients interviewed feel uneasy & aware of legal provisions to ban child labour, but think that the survival of the child/family relies on their employment

Despite being aware that child labour is illegal, employers claim they have no choice & employ the children as for their own survival & to support their families

Work improves child – better husband, better wife

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT Consumerism, not poverty main drive for work

Most (71%) from food secure families - family poverty, food problems, & ignorance (36%) is the main reason for leaving home

82% of parents (both) are alive; 84% of children’s families own land & 25% operated rented land

Wages 51% of children get more than Rs. 2000/month (min. wage Rs. 8,000) 60% of children receive their salaries; 27% parents receive 70% of children that receive their own salaries send money home

Food Quality 89% report getting food at least 3 times/day & that the quality of food

is better than what they receive at home (observations: leftover food, food about to go bad, or food that won’t sell)

Housing 86% live in employer provided accommodations & 12% live in rented

rooms Employer accommodations often shared with 4 others on average

Usually involved in this job for 12 months or less

LEGAL CONTEXT Child labour banned by the Country’s

constitutional & legislative measures Worst forms banned unconditionally (ILO WFCL

convention 182) 16-17 can participate in light work (time & duration

regulated by occupational health & safety rules) (ILO minimum age convention 138)

Nepal has not defined hazardous work Children politically marginalized & laws not enforced No national child labor policy Penalty for child labour 50k Rs. & 1 year of jail

DATA COLLECTION

Target population: children & adolescents who appear to be working in tea shops of KTM.

Strategy: visit tea shops of KTM, observe & hopefully speak with children & adolescents working there

INITIAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Are children & adolescents working in tea shops of KTM primarily there to make extra income that they can buy non-essential goods with?

If these children or adolescents do have expendable income would they open to using some of it for school or training?

CHALLENGES & LIMITATIONS

Miscommunication or poor communication Unwillingness of child or shop owner to allow

me to speak with them Documenting shops without formal address

or even names Children or adolescents who disguise the

truth Getting lost… CHILDREN TOO BUSY WORKING TO SPEAK

WITH ME

LESSONS LEARNED Major challenges to interviewing children in tea

shops/small restaurants Children are quite busy (sometimes working in areas visible

to customers, but not accessible to the public) Employer is often present – get the sense that employer’s

presence is an incentive to keep busy I had considered several limitations to being able to

speak with the children in the shops, but I had not considered that they would be so busy working that I would not get to speak with them. The children were all pre-occupied the entire time that I was in each shop.

Visits per shop took longer than anticipated – I felt the need to order snacks in addition to tea in order to seem like I had a legitimate reason to stay longer other than being preoccupied with my book that I brought. I think I spent 20 to 50 minutes in each shop.

LESSONS LEARNED CONT’

Ideally include both “secret shopper” type observation & formal interviews with children

Observation can happen during the day time, but interviews may need to take place in the evening when shops close and children are hopefully less busy

ADVOCACY STRATEGY

Systems advocacy approach – start in major metropolitan areas of Nepal Data is limited – needs assessment Desired outcomes

Short-term (yr 3): inform children of their rights, no children under the age of 16 working, reduce number of hours worked, increase pay to minimum wage (make children not cheap)

Mid-term (ongoing): ongoing public education campaign ~ the costs/benefits of staying in school vs working, employing children (under a certain age, long hours, etc.) in illegal & punishable by X & Y, child rights (or needs) education – why it’s important to be a kid

Long-term (yr 7): formalize the industry – register shops and have random inspections by police & plane clothes inspectors, no one under the age of 18 working in these environments

INTERVENTION STRATEGY Advocacy

Prevention will focus on rural communities & children there – cost/benefits of work/school, realities of work in the big city, child rights (needs) education

Urban advocacy will focus on criminalizing child labour in tea shops/restaurants – employer shaming, show how children are exploited – underpaid, overworked, etc., emphasize child rights (needs)

Support Mobilize funds to help families keep children at home & in schools –

stipends for poorest communities Child friendly vocational training that pays a little & children can do

1-2 hours per day if they desire Hotline to report child exploitation Prosecute offenders & make a public example

M&E Survey of children working in tea shops/restaurants, survey of

parents/guardians of vulnerable children, observations, community focus groups for feedback, monitor registration of shops & prosecution of offenders

HOW STAKEHOLDERS WILL BE INVOLVED

Rural children, families, & communities: targeted with preventative advocacy & given stipends for school & vocational training with a little pay

Urban children already working & communities: targeted with advocacy campaign explaining their rights (needs) & alternatives (stipends & vocational training) to leaving home & information about receiving help via hotline

NGOs: support government advocacy campaign & vocational training – draft curriculums, provide training to government officials & authorities (such as police), help design campaigns, collect & maintain data, participate in monitoring of shops, perform needs assessment

Government: allocate funds to keep children in school in vulnerable communities, raise funding for campaigns & help ensure visibility (TV/radio time slots), protection of child rights & prosecution of offenders, facilitate & raise funding for research & M&E, phase out informal shops (register shops – must have license to operate displayed), carry out shop inspections, support NGOs with needs assessment

LIMITATIONS & POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS

Lack of government will to carry out program & enforce laws

Funding & resource shortages Poor data collection & maintenance ability of

local NGOs & government Difficulties coordinating activities between

different NGOs & government ministries Tighter restrictions may drive children &

employers more underground or children may seek employment in other sectors that are not being regulated