Poverty, economic deprivation, illiteracy and lack of awareness is giving a leeway to exploit children through child labor in Nepal. Millions of children in Nepal live under exploitative and harsh conditions due to poverty. Natural disasters and economic recessions make matters even worse for Nepali children.

Based on the national data of Nepal’s Central Bureau of Statistics (2021), among the 7 million children between the age of 5 and 17 in Nepal, 1.1 million (15.3%) children are subjected to child labor. The Constitution of Nepal safeguards the rights of children and ensures that every child is protected by the law. Article 51 and 39 of the Constitution of Nepal (2015), guarantees child rights. Article 29 of the constitution states that all people should be free from exploitation, bonded labor and slavery. The Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, conceded by the Government of Nepal in the year 2000, prohibits the engagement of children below 14 years in any kind of employment or labor work. However there is a lack of implementation. Chairman of the National Child rights Protection Network, Prakash Khatiwada has spoken out about the necessity of implementing policies to reduce child labor in Nepal.