ABOUT CHILD LABOUR ELIMINATION PROGRAM (CLEP):

There are over 3,000 children involved in hazardous labor in Pokhara (2011), the western part of Nepal. They suffer from long working hours in exploitative and abusive conditions. The majority of these children are living in the workplace, half are under 14 years, and almost half are girls. Less than a quarter of these children are in school and a third of these children do not receive any salary.
Since its establishment in 1954 AD, Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), made of representatives from business and industry, has been playing a vital role in the development of Pokhara. This role has plead beyond the commercial and economic field to other aspects such as tourism, health care and social development.
PCCI initiated CLEP in 1999 working in coordination with Pokhara Sub Metropolitan City (PSMC), Lekhnath Municipality and Lekhnath Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI). In 2006, together with three partner organizations PCCI jointly established the coordinated services and support for street, working and at risk children in the Pokhara valley.
To date, CLEP has supported more than 6000 child labors to improve their working conditions and/or leave child labor. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of children in labor (from an estimated 9,000 in 2001), a re-education in the proportion of child labors below 12 years, and a greater number of child labors having access to basic services.

FOCUS OF CHILD LABOUR ELIMINATION PROGRAM (CLEP):

• Access to Basic Services: (Child Labor Contact Center)

Drop-in-Centre’s provided to access to basic services for working and at risk children including individual assessment, counselling, primary health care, life skills and recreation.

• Education and Livelihood Support

Non-formal education is provided to children to develop numeracy and literacy and wherever possible children are supported into formal education. CLEP also provides support to government schools to become more child-friendly. Young people are offered the opportunity for vocational or on-the-job training to develop skills for livelihoods and also provided support into positive employment.

• Prevention and Reintegration

Working with vulnerable families to prevent children entering hazardous work to support the reintegration of children out of labor. This work includes family strengthening through counseling, business support, awareness raising and empowerment through participation in women’s groups.

• Community Mobilization:

Working with the local community to mobilize stakeholders to eliminate child labor through formation of community advisory committees, awareness-raising with community members, and training to community-based organizations.

• Child Friendly Local Governance:

PCCI works as a partner of PSMC for the implementation of child friendly local governance in Pokhara. This work involves technical support for the establishment of child-friendly wards and ensuring the participation of working children in local governance through child clubs.