Child Labour in Brick Kiln Industries: A Case Study of Rupandehi District

Abstract

Brick Kiln is one of the major area which exploits huge amount of child labour.Specially, working in these industries is the most hazardous and life threatening to children. The present study "Child Labour in Brick Kiln Industries: A case study of Rupandehi district" is an effort to highlight and report on the plight of child workers in Brick kilns. This study presents the background profile of children working in Brick kilns and their family. The study analyzes gender and caste/ethnic variation, the working condition and environment in Brick kilns as well as related hazards faced by them and children's perceptions on their work and earning and incidence of harassment. This study has utilized both quantitative and qualitative techniques for data collection.The survey sites are selected on the basis of purposive sampling method and all the child workers under 18 years of age from of seven Brick kilns selected in Rupandehi district are interviewed using structural questionnaire. Additional information has been drown taking some case studies of child workers and interview with key informants working in seven selected brick kiln industries of Rupandehi district. Actually, brick kiln industries are operated in October/November to May/June in a season. Most of the children and adult workers in the sebirck kilns of Rupandehi district are recruited by middlemen (Naike/Mistri) given wage in peace rate. They come to work for earning to Brick kilns of Rupandehi district seannally and their lives remains just like the story of Sisyphus. They perform in kiln as brick moulding, carrying raw brick from field to chimney and take bricks from chimney to pile and loading trucks with bricks.During survey period, altogether 100 child labourers aged under 18 years are identified working in these seven selected Brick kilns among 32 brick factories altogether of Rupandehi district.Among these boys 54 outnumbered girls 46. In terms of age majority of child workers 53% are in the age group (15-17) where as a significant proportion of child workers fall in less than (10-11%) and (10-14) years of age (36%). The average age is found as 13.7 years for child renworking in Brick kilns. The large majority of children enter this work either coming with their parents/guardianor friends and middlemen. Most of the children come from out side of this district. Specially,Rautahat, Mahattari, Dang, Sarlahi, Dhanusa, Nawalparasi, Kapilbastu and Hill district. Only22% of children are found from local area. (Rupandehi district). And, 28% workers fare from Indian districts Rachi/Bihar, Majority of child workers are from Tharu/Machhiyar, Lodha/Muraw and Indian caste/ethnic group. It indicates some what social deprivation and exclusim. Though three fourth of children have both their parents alive and together, where as g.a significanztproportion of children are identified having single parents and even parents. A significant proportion of child are landless and three fourth of the child worker srevealed their family indebtedness bout half (47%) of the working children are reported to beilliterate. Most of all children including adult laboures working in Brick kilns live in stuffy zthatched huts along the premise of the factory. They are deprived of electricity and toilet facilities as well as balanced and nutrious food. Though, it is hard work, almost three fourth of the child workers surveyed work in Brick kilns till more than 8 hours per day. Actually, they are paid some money every week for their fooding and expenses and find payment is made at the end of the season. Being risky and hazardous work for children they encounter with various injuries/accidents and illness during working period in Brick kilns. But, they are not provided medical expense. In the other hand, they are extremely harassed and abused by middleman,manager/supervisor as well as adult workers of the factory. Majority of child workers are dissatisfied with their earnings and current work. They cited hard and hazardous work as the main reason for not satisfying with this work followed by low wage. It is observed that extreme household poverty is the contributing factor for migration of children and engaging in Brick kilns. In addition lack of work opportunity in off form season at origin, arrival of parents in Brick kilns and abusive behaviour of step parents also enforce to be engaged in such a child labour. The complete elimination of child labour from this sector is a great national challenge for future because children deprive of physical, mental, social and moral development engaging in such an intolerable farms of child labour.