Nepal in reconstruction mode after last April’s devastating earthquake, demand for construction materials is high and the government has estimated it needs 12 billion bricks to help rebuild the country. Before the earthquake, the brick industry produced around 2.5 billion bricks annually.
Since the earthquake, large numbers of families have come to work in one of Bhaktapur’s 64 kilns and many of the workers are around the same age as Achami.
“[There is an] increasing trend of young children from earthquake-affected districts coming with their families” to work at the kilns said Neelam Dhanuse, program coordinator at Save the Children.A 2012 report by World Education and Plan Nepal estimated there were around 28,000 child laborers working at an estimated 800 brick kilns in Nepal.The country’s laws ban child labor under the age of 14, but the majority of children working at brick kilns are between the age group of 12-16 say child rights organizations.
Tarak Dhital, executive director of Nepal’s Central Child Welfare Board, said many child laborers at the kilns work with their families.”It is like a family affair. And many children who either come alone or with families know each other so they feel the attraction to work at a brick kiln. There is the money factor as well,” said Dhital.
A child worker lays out clay bricks to dry at a kiln in the Nepalese city of Bhaktapur. (Photo by Ananta Bhandari)Achami followed his sister and brother-in-law who have worked at the same brick kiln for two years. Their village is in Ramechhap district, an area badly affected by the quake.
“The earthquake damaged the only house we had,” Achami said. “Since then my family has been living outside in a temporary shelter made up of bamboo and tarpaulin,” he said. His village school was also destroyed by the disaster.
Since the earthquake, large numbers of families have come to work in one of Bhaktapur’s 64 kilns and many of the workers are around the same age as Achami.
“[There is an] increasing trend of young children from earthquake-affected districts coming with their families” to work at the kilns said Neelam Dhanuse, program coordinator at Save the Children.A 2012 report by World Education and Plan Nepal estimated there were around 28,000 child laborers working at an estimated 800 brick kilns in Nepal.The country’s laws ban child labor under the age of 14, but the majority of children working at brick kilns are between the age group of 12-16 say child rights organizations.
Tarak Dhital, executive director of Nepal’s Central Child Welfare Board, said many child laborers at the kilns work with their families.”It is like a family affair. And many children who either come alone or with families know each other so they feel the attraction to work at a brick kiln. There is the money factor as well,” said Dhital.
A child worker lays out clay bricks to dry at a kiln in the Nepalese city of Bhaktapur. (Photo by Ananta Bhandari)Achami followed his sister and brother-in-law who have worked at the same brick kiln for two years. Their village is in Ramechhap district, an area badly affected by the quake.
“The earthquake damaged the only house we had,” Achami said. “Since then my family has been living outside in a temporary shelter made up of bamboo and tarpaulin,” he said. His village school was also destroyed by the disaster.