Eradicate Residues Of Slavery

The recent investigative story Harayeka Barsaharu (The Lost Years), the latest in the series Herne Kathaharu (The Stories That Need to Be Seen), has uncovered the troubling presence of modern-day slavery in various forms in Nepal. According to Routine of Nepal Banda, this audiovisual film has garnered 10 million views on YouTube. It tells the true story of Prakash Tamang from Jhapa, in eastern Nepal, who disappeared in Kathmandu around the age of 10 after being sent to work as a child labourer in a garment factory.

The Herne Katha team found him almost 35 years later in the remote Tsum Valley of Gorkha District. Prakash, now a 35-year-old man, had lost all memory of his origins, unsure of who he was or whether he had any family left in Nepal. He remembered being from Jhapa and the son of a Jhakri Ba with three wives. He recalled playing with his younger brother and certain landmarks from his childhood, but the high Himalayas and Tsum Valley had become his new home. Herding yaks and gathering yarsagumba were now the life he knew. Fluent in the local language, he had been taken in by a family from the valley who had found him wandering Kathmandu after he was dismissed by his factory employers.

Child labour 

In 1990, laws were enacted to prevent carpet factories from employing children, as international buyers had begun strictly enforcing these standards. Thousands of children like Prakash, sent from across Nepal to support their families, were suddenly left without work. Prakash was among those abandoned, eventually becoming a cowherd for a man from Tsum Valley. Child labour has been a long-standing tradition in Nepal, especially for families living in poverty. Despite laws banning the practice, economic hardship continues to drive children into domestic work, factories, restaurants, and other businesses. The Lost Years exposes the life of one such individual and highlights the emotional toll on children who, after being separated from their families, spend their lives serving masters in exchange for food and shelter.

This story has changed Prakash’s life. Once without citizenship, he now has legal documents, has met Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, and other high-level dignitaries. His family, equally impoverished, has been located, but their dire financial situation reflects the broader reality that, despite Nepal's transition to a federal republic, little has improved for the country’s poorest citizens.

While Prakash has become an overnight celebrity, with financial support pouring in and a house being built for him in Bhojpur, the question remains: is helping one man enough? There must be a more thorough investigation into the children who are sent away from their homes and the people who employ them. Both parents and employers must be held accountable for their negligence, and the government, at all levels, needs to address the countless individuals like Prakash Tamang, living without citizenship or basic rights through no fault of their own.

Value systems — ingrained habits and thought patterns — are difficult to change. There must be increased awareness among low-income families that it is acceptable to use contraceptives to avoid having more children than they can care for. It is not acceptable to send children away to work for others. Nepal also needs widespread awareness campaigns to ensure that it is not only children but also the vulnerable adults, who must not exploited.

Unfortunately, this mindset has seeped into the Nepali diasporas. While some Nepalis have thrived abroad, establishing successful businesses, investigative reports have revealed instances of Nepali employers exploiting fellow Nepali workers, even in the West. I have uncovered two such stories — one involving a Nepali restaurant owner in Luxembourg and another in Finland — where Nepali workers were cheated out of their wages and benefits, and their basic human rights violated. In both cases, after these stories were exposed, the governments of Luxembourg and Finland took action against the perpetrators.

The Nepal government must address cases like Prakash’s and others like him. A national strategy is needed to prevent modern-day slavery, and laws must be enforced to ensure that those who exploit others are held accountable. Bonded labour and slavery are illegal in Nepal, yet they persist in various forms, especially in people’s mindset. Addressing these issues must begin at the grassroots level, with local governments educating communities and enforcing laws to protect the most vulnerable among us.

While Prakash's story sheds light on the specific challenges facing the country, modern-day slavery is a global issue. According to international reports, over 40 million people worldwide are trapped in some form of forced labour, human trafficking, or exploitative work conditions. In South Asia, poverty and lack of education make millions of children and adults vulnerable to exploitation. Nepal, with its high poverty rates and fragile economy, remains a hotbed for labour exploitation, with thousands of people — especially children — forced into hazardous work in industries like agriculture, construction, and manufacturing. These workers are often paid meagre wages or not paid at all, and many are subjected to physical and emotional abuse.

Flawed mindset

The persistence of these conditions in Nepal can be attributed to weak law enforcement and the absence of social safety nets for marginalised families. Furthermore, traditional mindsets that view child labour as an unfortunate but necessary evil must be challenged. Breaking this cycle requires more than just laws on paper. It demands a concerted effort by civil society, the media, and the government to create lasting changes. Community-based interventions, awareness programmes, and stricter enforcement of labour laws are critical to ensuring that the next generation does not suffer the same fate as Prakash Tamang.

In this context, Nepal must now start addressing systemic poverty, providing educational opportunities, and improving access to healthcare, which can offer sustainable solutions that break the chains of modern-day slavery, empowering individuals to live with dignity.

(Sharma is a senior journalist and women's rights advocate. namrata1964@yahoo.com. Twitter handle: @NamrataSharmaP)