Approaches to Children's Work and Rights in Nepal

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 575, p. 176-193

Abstract

This article argues that despite new legislation to fulfill the requirements of international mandates (such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child & International Labor Organization Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor), rights-based programming does not sufficiently incorporate the perspectives of poor children & their family members. This article draws on recent ethnographic research that pioneered a collaborative model in which government, voluntary, private, & trade union organizations conducted research to compare the impact of current approaches to child labor on the livelihoods of working children. It shows that in failing to incorporate sociocultural understanding in program planning, services fail to maximize their potential in offering children opportunities to end the cycle of poverty. 1 Table, 25 References. Adapted from the source document.