Children’s migration to brick kilns in Nepal: a review of educational interventions and stakeholder responses to child labour

ABSTRACT

In Nepal, internal migration by the poorest families for employment, including to the brick kilns of the construction industry has been identified as a policy and research priority by the Government of Nepal. While support for children’s education is considered vital to reduce risk to child labour Nepalese children’s access to education is sporadic and incomplete when they travel with their families for seasonal work. This paper offers a review of recent research on educational interventions to support children of migrating families and examines the role and responses of government, non-governmental organisations and employers to mitigating the risks to engagement in, and reducing impacts of child labour in this hazardous industry. It shows that educational interventions focus on access to schooling and non-formal education, livelihood support and child safeguarding, but suggests these need to be concomitant with an agreed local strategy for holistic child and youth development that includes parents and children perspectives. This paper will provide insights into areas for coordinated action for children of migrant workers of brick kilns and pointers for future research on migration, child labour and education.

KEYWORDS:

• Migration
• education
• child labour
• brick kilns
• Nepal

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Global Challenges Research Fund of Liverpool John Moores University [LJMU GCRF 19_20].

Notes on contributors

Angela Daly

Angela Daly, School of Education, Liverpool John Moores University, UK.Orchid : https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5493-7291Angela is a Senior Lecturer in Education Studies and Early Childhood Studies at Liverpool John Moores University. She has a background in international development and connects her education research with social issues. She teaches international perspectives and global issues for educators and encourages students to consider the role of education in multidisciplinary contexts. https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/faculty-of-arts-professional-and-social-studies/school-of-education/angela-daly

Alice Hillis

Alice Hillis, Public Health Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, UKOrchid:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7286-0136Alice has an MSC in Public Health and is a PhD candidate researching contemporary sex tourism from the UK to Thailand.  She is a post-graduate researcher representative at the Public Health Institute and encourages fellow doctoral students to engage in interdisciplinary research across the university.

Shubhendra Man Shrestha

Shubhendra Man Shrestha, Global Action Nepal, Kathmandu, NepalShubhendra is a volunteer trustee at Global Action Nepal and has worked for several NGOS in Nepal on childhood and youth programmes. He is currently undertaking a programme of study and research on youth resilience in Nepal.

Babu Kaji Shrestha

Babu Kaji Shrestha, Global Action Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.B.K. is the Director of Global Action Nepal and has a long experience of working in education and social projects in Nepal and is a key member of the consultative group in Nepal the National Campaign for Education.