KATHMANDU: In the last fiscal year 2023/24, action was taken against 35 industrial institutions and employers for using child labor, as per the Labor and Employment Office in Hetauda. The Office, which monitored 95 industries, imposed fines totaling over Rs 400,000 on those found violating child labor laws. Additionally, 35 children were rescued from these workplaces.

Big companies that employed underage labor and had issues with appointment letters, compensation, and worker safety were the main sites of the transgressions. Industries had to change their management practices and stop using child labor in order to abide by labor rights laws.

The Labor and Employment Office also dealt with 79 compensation-related complaints, of which 60 were settled through talks. The investigations of the final 19 complaints are ongoing. The Office ran awareness campaigns in the districts of Makwanpur, Chitwan, and Sindhuli to further combat child labor.