page_title: Human trafficking in Nepal
section_title: Forced labor
hierarchical_section_title: Human trafficking in Nepal / Types of trafficking / Forced labor
caption_attribution_description: English: A cash crop from Tehrathum district of Nepal
context_page_description: Human trafficking in Nepal is a growing criminal industry affecting multiple other countries beyond Nepal, primarily across Asia and the Middle East. Nepal is mainly a source country for men, women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2" in 2017.
context_section_description: Forced labor refers to "situations in which persons are coerced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or by more subtle means such as accumulated debt, retention of identity papers, or threats of denunciation to immigrant authorities." Elements of forced labor include deception, exploitation and abuse, violating the International Labour Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, adopted in 1998. In Nepal, slavery was one of the oldest forms of forced labor. Since forced labor is mostly hidden in the illicit economy, there is a lack of precise quantitative data to form an accurate measure of its extent.
  One specific type of forced labor that is widespread in Nepal is bonded labor, also known as debt bondage. Even though Nepal outlawed bonded labor in 2000, it is still an issue throughout the country. Bonded labor is designed to exploit workers, and happens when individuals give themselves into slavery  as a means of repayment for a loan. The individual is then tricked or trapped into working for very little or no pay, as they find that repayment of the loan is impossible. Most workers are not allowed to work for anyone else. Violence and threats are sometimes used to coerce workers to stay, and in certain cases, they are kept under strict surveillance. In Nepal, bonded labor is mostly seen in agriculture, but it can also be found in brick kilns, domestic work, embroidery workshops, tea shops, and small restaurants.
  Child labor is also particularly rampant in Nepal. The country has an estimated 1.6 million child workers between the ages of five and 17 years old, who often work in exchange for money to give to their parents. Approximately three-quarters of them are younger than 14 years old, and most of them are girls.
caption: Forced labor in Nepal is commonly seen in agriculture
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