KANCHANPUR: The freed-kamlaris of Naukhari village in Jhalari Pipaladi Municipality-9 have united against the social ills of child marriage and child labour.

They have launched a campaign to raise awareness among the villagers against child marriage and child labour.

Chair of Amarjyoti Girls’ Club Sunita Chaudhary said that they have been working to stop the parents from sending their daughters to others’ houses as kamlari adding that the practice deprives girls of education, parents’ affection and child rights.

The practice of Kamlari, a trend of keeping young girls as bonded labours, is abolished in Nepal but some people still keep young girls from Tharu community for the same purpose.

“We have launched the campaign to stop the practice of Kamlari in the form of domestic worker,” Chaudhary added.

She also shared that the practice of forced labour has gradually decreased thanks to increased level of parents’ consciousness.

Likewise, the freed-kamlaris are also visiting every doorstep in the villages as a drive against the child marriage of the girls.

We have informed the parents about the complexities, problems to be faced by the young girls after their marriage and the legal provisions too,” vice-chair of the Club Bindu Rana said.

All members of the Club hold a meeting every week and increase their vigilance in the villages against child marriage and child labour.

“We stopped a nine-year-old girl from being trafficked to India under the veil of marriage,” Secretary Phulkumari Badayek said. Parents used to marry off their children young due to lack of knowledge but now they have started sending the girls to the school, she shared.

The members of the Club say that the cases of child marriage and child labour often take place if the parents were illiterate.

Some 50 members of the Club also collect the fund on monthly basis as well as make additional money by going for collective farming during leisure. The money collected from the sources is being provided to the club members in minimum interest rate.

Assistant District Education Officer of Kanchanpur, Padmaraj Bhatta, praised the activities of the former kamlaris and said that they have contributed a lot for the society.