Insights into forced labour among child domestic workers: evidence from urban Nepal

Slavery has at one point or another existed in several countries and in various forms: traditional slavery, bonded labour; labour coercion with exploitation; and human trafficking for forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation. We look into the issue of forced domestic labour among children, focusing on Nepal. Domestic labour is a phenomenon that is difficult to identify as it often takes place in private, within the homes of the “employer”. Access to the place of work is therefore difficult, especially for labour inspectors. Using the 2003 Nepali National Academy’s baseline survey of child domestic workers, we carry out an initial study of the factors that make domestic workers vulnerable to forced labour. We find that the most important factors relate to the age at which the child initially started work, irrespective of the type of initial work and the gender of the child. The results seem to suggest the importance of informing minimum age requirements for entering into the labour market.