A government team inspecting the factory on Sunday noticed the children working at the brick kiln. The team was led by Trishanta Shrestha, an official of the Department of Commerce and Supply Management.
"We had gone there to find out about the financial transactions of the kiln," said Shrestha. "And then we came to know about the children and their story," he added.
According to Shrestha, as child labor issues do not fall under the purview of their department, they had formally informed the District Administration Office (DAO) of Lalitpur as per the instructions of Minister for Commerce and Supplies Ganesh Man Pun.
Mani Ram Gharti, an employee of the kiln, admitted that 62 people were brought to the kiln from Rolpa and most of them are children. The monitoring team found that Gharti gets Rs 18 per day for each of the laborers .
"Children are made to work from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and are paid Rs 800 per week. They have to buy their food with that money and they live in a small, narrow room at the kiln," informed Shrestha.
Talking to Republica, factory operator Ram Kaji Awale claimed that he has not employed any children and that the monitoring team was lying.
Meanwhile, Lalitpur DAO said that it is into discussions to formulate a strategy, considering the complexity of the issue.
"We will take action only after we have conducted some monitoring. Rescue measures will begin after the concerned agencies conduct monitoring," said Assistant Chief District Officer Homnath Thapaliya.
The existing legal provisions bar the use of children as laborers. However, child laborers are a common sight in many places in the country.
According to Shrestha, as child labor issues do not fall under the purview of their department, they had formally informed the District Administration Office (DAO) of Lalitpur as per the instructions of Minister for Commerce and Supplies Ganesh Man Pun.
Mani Ram Gharti, an employee of the kiln, admitted that 62 people were brought to the kiln from Rolpa and most of them are children. The monitoring team found that Gharti gets Rs 18 per day for each of the laborers .
"Children are made to work from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and are paid Rs 800 per week. They have to buy their food with that money and they live in a small, narrow room at the kiln," informed Shrestha.
Talking to Republica, factory operator Ram Kaji Awale claimed that he has not employed any children and that the monitoring team was lying.
Meanwhile, Lalitpur DAO said that it is into discussions to formulate a strategy, considering the complexity of the issue.
"We will take action only after we have conducted some monitoring. Rescue measures will begin after the concerned agencies conduct monitoring," said Assistant Chief District Officer Homnath Thapaliya.
The existing legal provisions bar the use of children as laborers. However, child laborers are a common sight in many places in the country.
Monitoring team talks to a child laborer. (Deepak Kharel)
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