SOUTH ASIA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

2285e. Acceptable Conditions of Work.—In April the Government passed legislationthat raised the minimum monthly wage for unskilled labor to $20 (1,450 rupees).The law also defined monthly minimum wages for semi-skilled labor at about $21(1,500 rupees), skilled labor at $22 (1,610 rupees), and highly skilled labor at $25(1,800 rupees). The minimum wage for children ages 14 to 16 was set at $16 (1,144rupees). Wages in the unorganized service sector and in agriculture often are asmuch as 50 percent lower. The Labor Act calls for a 48-hour work-week, with 1 dayoff per week, and limits overtime to 20 hours per week. Health and safety standardsand other benefits such as a provident fund and maternity benefits also are establishedin the Act. Implementation of the new Labor Act has been slow, as the Governmenthas not created the necessary regulatory or administrative structures toenforce its provisions. Workers do not have the right to remove themselves fromdangerous work situations. Although the law authorizes labor officers to order employersto rectify unsafe conditions, enforcement of safety standards remains minimal.f. Trafficking in Persons.—The law prohibits trafficking and prescribes imprisonmentof up to 20 years for infractions; however, trafficking in women and girls remainsa serious social problem in several of the country’s poorest areas. Youngwomen are by far the most common targets; trafficking of men and boys is notknown to occur. While the vast majority of trafficking is of women and girls for thecommercial sex industry, women and girls sometimes are trafficked for domesticservice, manual or semi-skilled labor, or other purposes. Nepal is a primary sendingcountry for the South Asia region; most women and girls trafficked from the countrygo to India. Local NGO’s working against trafficking estimate that 5,000 to 7,000Nepali girls between the ages of 10 and 18 are lured or abducted annually intoIndia and subsequently forced into prostitution. In some cases, parents or relativessell women and young girls into sexual slavery. Hundreds of girls and women returnto the country annually after having worked as prostitutes in India. Most are destituteand, according to some estimates, 65 percent are HIV-positive when they return.There is legislation to protect women from coercive trafficking, including a banon female domestic labor leaving the country to work in Saudi Arabia and othercountries in the Gulf (see Section 2.d.); women’s rights groups have protested theban as discriminatory.Prostitution also is a problem in the Kathmandu valley. A children’s humanrights group states that 20 percent of prostitutes in the country are younger than16 years old.Since 1996 active special police units have dealt with crimes against women andchildren.Despite recent attempts to increase the imposition of penalties on traffickers, enforcementof antitrafficking statutes remains sporadic. The fear of the spread ofAIDS by returning prostitutes has discouraged the Government from promoting effortsto rehabilitate prostitutes. Government efforts focus more on preventing prostitutionand trafficking in women. The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare sponsorsjob and skill training programs in several poor districts known for sendingprostitutes to India. In May 1999, the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare openedthe Women’s Self-Reliance and Rehabilitation Center (WOREC), a rehabilitationand skills training center for women returned from being trafficked and for womenand girls at risk of being trafficked. With the Government’s endorsement, manyNGO’s have public information and outreach campaigns in rural areas. Thesegroups commonly use leaflets, comic books, films, speaker programs, and skits toconvey antitrafficking messages and education.There are over 15 NGO’s working against trafficking, several of which have rehabilitationand skills training programs for trafficking victims. WOREC and other organizationsinvolved in the rehabilitation of trafficking victims state that theirmembers have been threatened and that their offices have been vandalized becauseof their activities. According to press reports, on August 18, 1999, five convictedtraffickers who had been given 20-year sentences but were released within 3 yearsattacked a 17-year-old living at a WOREC facility. The director of another prominentanti-trafficking group reported in July that traffickers regularly make threatsagainst her organization.In October NGO’s, the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and theHome Ministry together hosted a regional workshop with senior police officers to enhancecross border antitrafficking collaboration. NGO’s and law enforcement officialsdiscussed ways of improving bilateral and regional cooperation on investigatingand prosecuting traffickers and ensuring better protection of victims.In June 1999, the police hosted a workshop in Kathmandu to provide recommendationsfor new legislation regarding trafficking and the sexual exploitationof children. A followup workshop was held in July 1999. To date no new legislationVerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:46 Sep 20, 2001 Jkt 071555 PO 00000 Frm 00129 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6621 F:\WORK\COUNTRYR\S71555\71555.036 HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1