Child Workers in Nepal
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Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN) is an active NGO that has worked in Nepal since 1987. As the first child rights organisation in Nepal[1], its primary objective has been to protect the rights of the child and oppose child labour exploitation. CWIN also pressurizes the government to propagandize children's rights and bring a halt to any sort of child exploitation or abuse[2].
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[edit] History
The formation of CWIN was linked with the then-recently-established regional level organisation called Child Workers in Asia (CWA). However, CWIN Nepal was the creation of some university students studying at Tribhuvan University who first felt the need of such organisation in Nepal. These students were trying to do something for the nation and came up with the idea of raising the issue of child labour and child rights for the social liberation of children against any kind of exploitation or discrimination. They felt the need of intensification of regarding children as inevitable part of society, an adult-dominated society which neglected the children and child rights. So in January 1, 1987, just a year after the students felt the need of a child rights organisation, they established (but did not officially register) an organisation with the name of CWIN. CWIN started to do its job actively after 1991 (when it was registered) but to ill political scenario of Nepal.
[edit] Members of CWIN
[edit] Founding Members
- Gauri Pradhan
- Bijaya Sainju
- Dhruba Kumar Kasaju
- Rupa Dhital
- Sumnima Tuladhar
- Sudarshan Pradhan
[edit] 2008 Executive Members
- Gauri Pradhan - Founder President
- Sumnima Tuladhar Pradhan-Executive co-Ordinator
- Madhav Pradhan - Chairman
- Krishana Sundari Shrestha - Vice chairman
- Tarak Dhital - Secretary
- Subodh Shrestha - Treasurer
- Sapana Sharma -Member
- Anjana Pradhan Amatya - Member
- Mr Paswan - Member
- Prem Songmen -Member
- Dhruba Kasaju-Member
[edit] Achievements
The first and foremost work that CWIN did was to translate the draft UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Nepali in 1987. In 1988, it organised the First South Asian Seminar-Workshop on Working Children. It provided the opportunity to discuss the issues like child servitude and other urgent child-related issues at the regional level and to expand the reach of CWIN. On 1991 CWIN published its research paper Urban Child Labour which included the wide coverage of status of children throughout Nepal and again in 1993, CWIN organised a major study programme on children at risk, such as street children, those working in different sectors especially carpet industries, young victims of trafficking[3] and prostitution, children in debt bondage, etc. In 1994, it made another contribution by introducing CWIN Children's Home, a transit centre for children at risk; CWIN Balika.
In 1996, CWIN rescued 130 minor Nepali girls from the red light districts in Bombay and repatriated them and published Back Home Brothels, a real story of trafficked girls. In 1997, CWIN’s 10th anniversary was celebrated by organizing a number of programmes for children and in the same year CWIN published a year-book report on the State of the Rights of the Child in Nepal. In 2000, CWIN, for the first time in the history of Nepal, established CWIN Help-Line, an emergency relief and counseling service for children at risk on the occasion of International Day of the Rights of the Child.
Besides all this step by step success of CWIN, it also organised many programmes. An example is The Local Action against Alcohol and Drugs, a knowledge-based awareness and advocacy programme to minimize use of substance in the society and especially among the children in Nepal. CWIN has also been investing in "Action Research" since the beginning of the child rights movement in Nepal. CWIN runs a national Resource and Information Centre with wide coverage on child rights, child labour, trafficking, etc.
[edit] Other works
CWIN has been assisting in various parts of nation building through its 4 main aspects, namely: -
- Approach of "Advocacy through Action" which has been helpful in building awareness on child rights and child labour in Nepal. CWIN, with voluntary support from different organizations, has been undertaking a number of community based projects for children such as the construction and renovation of schools, school libraries, etc.
- Approach of "For Children, With Children" has been helpful in building awareness about child rights through child participation of the street children of Nepal (Khate) and other child survivors. CWIN Street Theatre and CWIN Sports Club are the example of such awareness building programmes.
- CWIN has been providing support for children at risk like CWIN Contact Centre in Central Bus Terminal, Hamro Ghar: Drop-in Centre for Street Children and Children at Risk, CWIN Balika: Programme for Girls at Risk, CWIN Bal Kendra: Centre for Migrant Children at Risk, CWIN Centre for Self-Reliance, CWIN Socialisation Centre in Pokhara
- Approach for Children In Conflict which promotes Children's Participation, Emergency Support Education, Advocacy and campaign on Children in Armed Conflict, etc.
[edit] Statistics of Child status in Nepal of the year 2004
Nature of cases and No. of cases
- Physical abuse against children 32
- child labour exploitation (Including children explicated in Indian Circus) 82
- Child Trafficking 33
- Children at risk and facing exploitation after migrating 354
- Children at risk 81
- Street children at risk 564
- Child sex abuse 81
- Corporal punishment 7
- Children neglected in child cares home 52
- Orphaned, abandoned and neglected children 109
- Child and infant killing 18
- Strucked with natural disaster 25 (23 deaths)
- Affected by communal disease 164 (139 deaths)
- Neglected children with physical and mental disability 13
- Child suicide 24
- Children killed due to grudge 35
- Child death in stone quarry 5
- Child death in accident 190
- Children seriously injures in accidents 90
- Child death due to substance abuse 3
- Information published for child adoption 319
- Child marriage 26
- Juvenile delinquency 12 and 155 street children
- Children in jail 6
- Child affected and died in lack of medical treatment 30
- HIV affected (Under 14 years) 88
- Missing children 487 (331 boys and 156 girls)
- Found Children 243 (165 boys and 78 girls)
- Children directly affected from conflict (died, injured, abducted, arrested) 54 deaths (42 boys, 12 girls); 2 Suicide (1 boy, 1 girl); 99 injured; 77 arrested; 6689 abducted;
Total recorded events = 10247
[edit] CWIN during 10 year of armed conflict
During to armed conflict, 328 children (232 boys and 93 girls) died while, 250 children (167 boys and 83 girls) had been seriously injured. Civil society raised strong voice against violence and peace matters. However, the serious of child killings and violence against children didn’t stop. CWIN, during this period, try to aware everyone with the slogan of "Children are Zones of Peace". CWIN ran training sessions and published different advocacy materials. CWIN also provided training for peace workers in different parts of the country to promote the "Children are Zones of Peace" campaign.
[edit] Partners
CWIN has been receiving continuous support and solidarity from organisations like Quinoa and Salaai in Belgium, United World College-South East Asia in Singapore, Defence for Children International-Finland, Children in Crisis, U.K., Profit for World's Children-Holland, and KEPA-Finland. 'Save the Children Norway-Nepal', 'FORUT-Norway', and 'PLAN Nepal' are the main working partners of CWIN in undertaking its activities. CWIN has been working together with HMG/Nepal on the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. In addition, CWIN has been also working together with bilateral and multilateral agencies, UN agencies such as UNICEF and ILO, on different occasions on the areas of child rights and the rights of working children.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- www.CWIN.org.np - Main Page
- www.CWIN.org.np - History
