One of the key factors that perpetuate poverty is social and economic exclusion through discrimination. In Nepal, the issue of social and economic exclusion occupies a vital position in many development agendas that aim at reducing widespread poverty in the country. Dalits, one of the most marginalized groups in Nepal, are still facing several forms of discrimination in all sectors, including the workplace. As a result, Dalits today stand at the bottom of most indicators of socio-economic development. The ILO acknowledges that caste-based discrimination is a socio-economic and cultural problem. Discrimination in employment and work is perceived by Dalits as most important factor preventing them from improving their current situation. Discrimination needs to be eliminated both from the workplace and from society at large so that Dalits can live and work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity. This goal can be achieved only through increased social awareness of both Dalits and non-Dalits, and through the enhancement of their ability to function and to engage, as well as to influence and hold accountable, the institutions that affect them. The ILO, as the leading international agency responsible for setting labour standards, believes that the State and employers can and should take measures to end caste-based discrimination within the workplace. ILO Convention No. 111 on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation can be instrumental in preventing caste-based discrimination at the workplace. Nepal has ratified both
Convention No. 111 and the Equal Remuneration Convention (No. 100), which are among the ILO's fundamental Conventions. This study was carried out by TEAM Consult and the Dalit Welfare Organization(DWO) and was commissioned by the ILO Office in Nepal. The key objective of this study was to analyse discrimination against occupational castes (Dalits) in the labour sector, as well as forced and child labour when it occurs. The study clearly reveals that there is no consensus on the definition and identification of Dalits and that Dalits have not agreed to the way they are defined. It also shows that the implementation
of relevant UN and ILO conventions, as well as domestic laws pertaining to discrimination in labour, to forced labour and to child labour, including its worst forms, needs to be reviewed. We hope that this study will be fruitful for those individuals and institutions who are working towards making Nepal an all-inclusive society. This study deals with the extent of discrimination prevalent against Dalits in Nepal in the world of work, forced labour and child labour, as well as the gender relations within the Dalit communities, in relation to the existing constitutional and legal provisions as well as the relevant United Nations (UN) and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions ratified
by the government of Nepal. The study employed a multi-method strategy. The household survey incorporated major Dalit groups and covered 1,454 households in 33 clusters of 11 districts: three from the mountain region, four from the hills and four from the terai, and is, therefore, spatially representative of Nepal. The total Dalit population taken in this study was 8,433: 4,638 males and 3,795 females. About 41.7 per cent of the sample population was below 15 years of age.
|
Publisher:
ILO
,
(2005
) |
Type / Script:
Progress Report
in English
|
Keywords:
CHILD LABOUR, ACCESS TO RESOURCES, SOCIAL INCLUSION, DALIT CIVIL SOCIETY, LABOUR EXPLOITATION, LABOUR LAW, LABOUR MARKET, LABOUR POLICY, LABOUR ECONOMICS, MANPOWER REDUNDANCY, SEX AND GENDER, ADULT LITERACY, INCOME AND CONSUMPTION, WORK ALLOCATION, WAGES, EDUCATION, MIGRATION, DEPENDENCY RATIO, MORBIDITY, CASTE AND ETHNIC GROUPS, PREJUDICE, DALITS, DISCRIMINATION, WORK AND LABOUR, EMPLOYMENT
|
Thematic Group: ILO
:
International Labor & Labor
|
Thesaurus:
12.01.00
- Employment Promotion And Planning
|
Reference Link:
|
|
|
** This document has been:
1740
times viewed
16
times downloaded. Feeder:
DEEPIKA DHAKAL
, Editor:
, Auditor:
View Document History
|
|
|
|