Kathmandu

Children working as bus conductors rescued

Children working as bus conductors rescued

By Himalayan News Service

Refugee children playing, Illustration: Ratna Sagar Shrestha/THT

Kathmandu, May 28 A child working as a conductor in a bus was rescued from Dhobighat, Lalitpur, today by the Central Child Welfare Board under the Labour Office Bagmati and other organisations working for the welfare of children. While inspecting 166 buses at Dhobighat Bus Park, children below 16 years were found working as conductors, said Tarak Dhital, executive director at Central Child Welfare Board. Along with the inspection, stickers reminding about the rights of children were pasted on the buses. Udaya Kumar Gupta, chief of Labor Office Bagmati, took the initiative with a campaign to end child labour in public vehicles.  He said, “Those children who were rescued today will be handed over to National Centre for Children at Risk, Kathmandu, where they will be registered. They will then be taken to  rehabilitation centres.” He added that those children who are not orphans will be handed over to their parents while those who are parentless will be sheltered in rehabilitation centres after coordinating with organisations working for children. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2000 prohibits engaging children in factories, mines or similar risky activities. The regulation also has necessary provisions related to their health, security, services and facilities while engaging them in other activities. “We will not let any child work in public vehicles. This drive will be conducted every week,” said Udaya Kumar Gupta, chief of Labor Office, Bagmati. “We will ensure their rights and prioritise their education,” he further said, adding the office was searching for more children engaged in child labour to provide them necessary help. “Those children who want to study will be provided education, while those who don’t want to study will be provided practical and skill-based knowledge so as to produce skilled human resource.”