| Username |
Post |
| san |
Posted
on 19-Feb-02 12:00 AM
Most of us who log into this site do so because of their interest in Nepal and the Nepalese. Most of us would love to do something for our country, and I think we can.
The best part is that we don't have to do too much. This is what I propose:
Most of us have child workers who work in our houses. Let us help in a very small way by sending these kids to school. We don't have to do too much. Maybe send couple of hours worth of pay to finance their education. But imagine the impact it is going to have in Nepal when they grow up. Out of about 10,000 visitors a month in this site, if even a thousand of us took the initiative to see that the child worker who works in our house in Nepal is sent to school, that in itself is going to have so much impact when these children grow up.
Let us give a message that we care. We can start right now, from our own doorsteps back home in Nepal.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 19-Apr-02 09:59 AM
San:
Having child workers in a home is a culture in Nepal. I was appalled to see some of
my close relatives 'having' and 'mistreating' these small kids working in the house
for a paltry sum.
When I finished my SLC, I worked for a small Sauraha hotel as a manager. I
remember talking to the dishwasher there at the time. When I asked how much
was he being paid, he told me he worked there for free. "For first three months",
he said, "I will be working for free". Then he justified this himself," I am learning
work now."
It was horrific, and I protested and left my job later. The owner of the hotel still
revvies up in his motorbike, burning his money in profligacies like beer binges and
others. It was very horrible.I asked the guy," how can you say the person is
learning now? You are not using some machine to wash dishes in the hotel. He is
washing dish in the cold tube well!" He didn't listen to me.
It took long time for me to teach my parents about virtues of treating these kids
decently, but I am glad that we don't have any now. Sending school alone is not
enough, San. They should be given considerable amount of free time to prepare
for classworks. They shouldn't be employed there at the first place, but when
employed they should be treated decently, and given decent wage.
In Nepal's corrupt bourgeois mindset, having a child to work in the house constitute
some kind of status symbol too. Not long before, country's supreme court judge
was found to be employing a small kid, who was by the way raped and killed by
someone in his house.
I applaud your concern regarding the kids. I hope people will follow suit. It is a
matter of pride to see the small kid raised in your house, who worked so much for
making your family life comfortable, grow up to be an educated and proud
individual capable of contributing the community in many ways.
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| Hutty |
Posted
on 19-Apr-02 12:19 PM
I think San has come up with a very good idea. I have always fought with my parents and relatives about child labor issue. I have seen some kids being exploited, it makes me so depressed that some people in Nepal are so god damn mean. Lets make a difference, lets all talk our family memebers into educating those poor kids.
Hutty
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| NK |
Posted
on 19-Apr-02 12:37 PM
I have so much to say about this issue. I am in a way proud to say that we do have a kid (18 year old) in our house and he does go to school. My bhauju with few of her friends have already started a program where they go to some village outside of Ktm and sponor 10 kids at a time.
We can make a difference. It has to come from our doorstep, literally. We talk about big ideas, idelolgy and in our own h ome somebody who is there to help us gets a subhuman treatment. That is unacceptable. How many of you who visit this board has somebody working in their house and has a bare mattress to sleep on, dhobi khola for a bathroom and 'pura' for a meal?
Child labor initself is a crime but we have to look at the reality also. These kids do need to work. Their parents back in village are too poor to support them that is why they send their own children to work for us. It is upto us to treat them fairly and be a mentor. Yes San, let's bring some changes in our gariblai marney culture among other glorious practices.
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| Hutty |
Posted
on 22-Apr-02 02:31 PM
I would love to email all my family members and friends requesting them to send their workers to school but the problem is I can not write very good. I would love it if one of you with good english wrote a format. I think nobody would take me seriously if I wrote a letter because my poor english. You know how Nepalese are... they judge you with your english..
Hutty
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| gorbachov |
Posted
on 22-Apr-02 04:00 PM
hutty, I bet NK or biswo can help you . They seem to have very nice english. I would help you, but as you can see I suck at english. What about Nepali? How come English is getting superior against nepali? That's our matribhasa for cryin' out loud. Take care
Gorbachov
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| limit 3 |
Posted
on 22-Apr-02 05:11 PM
cool...I'm totally up for this
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| vagabond |
Posted
on 22-Apr-02 05:29 PM
Actually its a very good thought. In my house we started this tradition quite a while back. The current one at my home is doing very good at school. The downside is though, they move on once they get to a certain level of education. but then you can always recruit another one right?
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| rebelious sevendust |
Posted
on 23-Apr-02 03:21 AM
Now this is the right way to change our country for better. I have a great deal of respect to all of you who support this idea. Especially to you San for bringing this out. I would like yo guys to check out nepalchildren.org
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| NK |
Posted
on 23-Apr-02 06:51 AM
Yes, vagabound. That is the whole idea. You help them and they help you. We are not (and should not be ) some fedual lord/ a slave holder who wants to retain servants/slaves generation to generation. Why should they stay in one place once they have other skill sets? Don't you want to move up once you are better educated and better trained even in your job?
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| Khappar |
Posted
on 23-Apr-02 07:47 AM
Hello San,
The idea that you have presented is absolutely good one. I do regard on it, but why are we spreading "DAYA" mercy?
Well, having a child worker in a private house is itself an illegal and unjust. Why are the educated people doing this job?
I have heard that most of the child workers at home "Bhanchhe" are Bahun kids because they are considered upper caste in Nepalese backward society. If your notion works well, most of "Bahun" kids get to go to school. How about other destitute kids who are isolated even being a "Bhanchhe"?
State is not doing well in regards of child worker and their freedom. No one can be in parallel with state and its responsibility. Every child regardless caste should get an equal opportunity to go to school.
My parents were always aware on this issue that we never had any child worker in my house, but they taught us most of the house keeping jobs. We all brothers and sisters enjoyed doing house keeping, cooking meals and washing dishes as well. It tells me that every parent should feel their responsibility of sending their kids to school instead of encouraging them to work in someone's house as a servant or slave.
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| Bigyan Raj Acharya |
Posted
on 23-Apr-02 10:49 PM
Recently I had an opportunity to introduce our organization www.nepalchildren.org on this site. I would like to thank everyone for all the responses and support we received there after.
There are lots of factors responsible for the widespread child labor in our society. Specially at present condition, I would say that the deteriorating economic condition of the country has further made it worse. As a result, financially starving families are compelled to send their kids to work rather than to school.
I would say that we need to bring up some programs at grass root level, such as compensating the families with the amount the child earns and put the child in school and in the mean time try to bring social awareness in the society about child labor.
I am happy to say that the children sponsored by NCEF for this year have already started their school and our volunteers in Nepal are monitoring them on a weekly basis to assess their progress. We are working to expand our program further next year and try to reach the ones that need the most help.
From this message I would like to make an appeal to all the different groups working with similar projects to form a network so that we can make a strong impact at local level further making it more productive in the long run.
Bigyan
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| Raja |
Posted
on 24-Apr-02 01:11 PM
Stop this bullshit. If you send your few more hour's income your slave could go to bording school rahter than living horrible life in your home. Instead of discouraging child labor, you people are encouraging it by showing some temptation to them. Have you guys ever said your family not to keep a young kid in your home as slave. How could he study in evening and morning when he has to do tons of work in your home. How he get time for do homeworks. Sending school is not solution ....
This kind of thinking really pissed me off.
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| kale77 |
Posted
on 24-Apr-02 06:07 PM
Dear mr. Raja,
honestly if you were able to understand the whole point of this discussion, you wouldn't have used your great word "BULLSHIT". Dude go get some life man, and dont get pissed here, instead you should have used that time to free the slave that you have in your own house. ........ now dont give me that you dont have one. huh....... Mr. Big Talk!
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| Keto |
Posted
on 24-Apr-02 07:01 PM
Well guys, Raja does have a point. I think whole child labour is bunch of bullcrap. You might argue you are giving someone job. But it's not that great. I am sure he/she can find other slave jobs. Why rich people have to get a "keta" or a slave more like "kanchha" or "kanchi" just to be even lazier and fatter? Why can't you do your own shiiit rather than making that little kid to do it. Please brothers and sisters. This thing doesn't work in first world world. Why? People are educated. And they do their own work. This perfectly works in third world country. Why? People are EDUCATED and they have to feel IMPORTANT to have a child as a worker on their house. And what happens? Lazier and fatter life. Did you know, there is more diabetes and other heart related disease among richin Nepal?...Well I am not pissed off. I am just frustrated ! Tkae care.
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| Raja |
Posted
on 24-Apr-02 09:38 PM
Kale ...
Nam pani kale...maan jhan kalo....
You have child slave in your home DOES NOT mean that everybody here in sajha has one. Honestly I am not from rich family who can afford Kam garne Keta in a home. ... I have nothing to say more.
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| MCR |
Posted
on 25-Apr-02 03:07 PM
I agree child labor is wrong. Why not employ the Childs mother, father, older family member, they too are looking for work, give them the money or arrange it in such a way that one of the benefits you give the mother, father or older family member is sending his or her child to school. I see nothing good that will come out of having young children as domestic help, these are the kids that will grow up to resent the rich who abused, used them, and these are the kids who will become moabadis.
I remember a kid who worked in my aunts home, they were very nice to him, they sent him to school, but one thing they didn't let him be was a kid, he lost his innocence before he was 11 years old, while my cousins who were his age played about, he had to do the house work, laundry etc. In the end he looted the house and ran away with that he carried an animosity and hatred for the people he was made to server.
Peace
MCR
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