Sakriya
Print
The Sakriya project (Sakriya means "active" in Nepali) worked to build the capacity of Nepalese civil society to more effectively detect and combat forced child labor and other labor abuses in Nepal's brick, embroidery, and carpet weaving sectors. It leveraged partnerships across Nepal's child protection networks to facilitate access to services for survivors of labor abuses and to reduce the risk that adults and children will be forced into harmful work in these sectors.
The Problem
Nepal hosts a large manufacturing industry, especially for the production of bricks, embroidery, and carpet weaving. Children and adults in these industries often work in harmful conditions. Civil society organizations play a critical role in working with and supporting local government to implement relevant laws and policies to eliminate these labor abuses. In Nepal, many people lack awareness about the hazards of child labor, and civil society organizations often have little ability to carry out effective advocacy on the issue. To address this growing problem more effectively, these organizations need support.
Our Strategy
The Sakriya project supported Nepalese civil society to better identify and document information on the nature and scope of child labor and/or forced labor in the brick, embroidery, and carpet weaving sectors. The project also worked to improve the capacity of these networks to raise awareness of these problems; and, improve their capacity to lead initiatives to address child labor and/or forced labor and violations of acceptable conditions of work.
Results
- The project established a core leadership cadre of local and national organizations with diverse technical expertise and influence. This team in turn is collaborated with a network of 15 regional NGOs with deep reach into affected communities. Each local NGO used their new skills to organize sub-networks of smaller community-based organizations with local knowledge, language, and relationships with critical groups, including community members, local authorities, and business owners.
- The lead organizations collected data about child labor and forced labor in the brick, embroidery, and carpet weaving sectors, and used this information to help Nepalese civil society advocate more effectively for programs and policies to prevent exploitation and protect workers. With this capacity building support, this network of civil society organizations was better prepared to provide effective direct support during the COVID-19 pandemic to 13,000 vulnerable children and families engaged in or at risk of engaging in hazardous work.
The Sakriya project also:
- Helped local governments establish 21 local Child Rights Committees and 293 ward Child Rights Committees where many did not exist before the project. These committees, which serve 406,200 children, spearhead strategies and actions to address child labor.
- Supported 140 ward Child Rights Committees to form a grievance committee, appoint a focal person, and develop investigation procedures for handling grievances and referrals related to children's rights and child protection.
- Led to two NGOs expanding their child labor identification work into four new municipalities beyond the targeted 45 municipalities. This expansion means the committees will now be able to connect more at-risk children to needed services.
- Grantee:
- World Education
- Implementing Partners:
- Aasaman Nepal, Child Protection Organization, Child Development Society, Banke UNESCO Club, Backward Society Education, Dalit Human Rights Watch Committee, Antenna Foundation Nepal, Grameen Mahila Swablambam Sanstha, Human Rights Awareness Center, Mahila Atma Nirbharata Kendra, Prayatnashil Community Development Society, Rural Development Center, Save the Saptari, Social Development Center, Swatantrata Abhiyan Nepal, Terre des Hommes, Tharu Women Upliftment Center, Urban Environment Management Society
- Contact Information:
- (202) 693-4843 / Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
- Tags:
- Child Labor
- Awareness Raising
- Bricks
- Capacity Building
- Civil Society
- Forced Labor
- FY18 Projects
- Manufacturing
- Textiles
- Zari
