Five child laborers have been rescued from different sweatshops in Pokhara sub-metropolitan city on Monday. As a part of the campaign to make Pokhara a child-labor-free city, the Child Labor Rescue and Recommendation Committee of the sub-metropolis had rescued these children from their workplaces. 

The rescued children have been kept under the care of the Committee itself. Bharat Raj Baral, of the Committee, informed that the child laborers were rescued from Baglung Bus Park and the area near the Western Regional Hospital. 

“We found the labor exploitation as the children under the age of 14 were being employed there,” said Baral. The committee sprang into action after it received complaints about the prevalence of child labors in the city. The rescued children hail from Chitwan, Rolpa, Rautahat, and Gorkha districts. 

A team of the committee which reached the workplace to monitor the situation found the children working in a pathetic condition. The committee would now recommend sub-metropolis for long-term care and protection of the rescued children. 

“Investigation into the age of the rescued children and labor exploitation will be conducted. If found guilty, the employers will be punished,” Baral informed. The convicted employers will face a fine ranging from Rs 10,000 to 50,000 and a jail term of 3 to 6 months, or both.

Published on: 27 August 2013 | Republica