Informal workers in Kanchanpur face unsafe conditions and persistent wage inequality

Kanchanpur: Workers in the informal sector in Kanchanpur continue to face unsafe and exploitative working conditions.

Those engaged in the brick industry, construction, agriculture and domestic work are often compelled to perform hazardous tasks without proper safety equipment. The situation is further worsened by a significant wage gap between men and women. According to the Labor Act 2074 and International Labor Organization standards, work carried out under fear, threat or pressure is considered forced labor. However, such practices remain widespread across sectors ranging from agriculture and construction to domestic work and foreign employment.

Workers are frequently subjected to practices such as delayed wage payments, pressure due to debt, violence and threats, which restrict their ability to choose or leave employment freely. A study conducted in Kanchanpur, Bardiya and Saptari based on four indicators found a high prevalence of forced labor among former Kamaiya, Haliya and Harwa-Charwa communities. The study revealed that around 80 percent of freed Kamaiya, 85 percent of Harwa-Charwa, and 61 percent of Haliya communities lack labor freedom.

It was also found that women earn about 33 percent less than men for the same work, often face delayed payments, and may be punished for taking leave. Only 43 percent of freed bonded laborers receive the prescribed wage.

To address these issues, the ‘Parishram’ project has been launched in coordination with the National Freed Haliya Society Federation Nepal. The project aims to combat forced labor by strengthening organizations of freed bonded laborers in the informal sector through advocacy and procedural participation.

Running from January 2026 to December 2027 with financial support from the Freedom Fund and in collaboration with Action Aid Nepal, the project seeks to empower freed bonded and informal workers by organizing them and amplifying their voices. It is being implemented across all nine local levels of Kanchanpur.

Project coordinator Hari Singh Bohara stated that the initiative focuses on effective implementation of labor laws, reduction of child labor, and expansion of workers’ access to social security. He noted that informal workers remain outside state monitoring, leaving them deprived of insurance, social security, trade union rights and regular oversight. “We enroll children engaged in labor into schools by providing educational materials, which helps ensure access to education and reduces the risk of returning to labor,” he said.

Bohara added that workers often receive wages below the district rate and lack essential safety gear such as masks, gloves and boots, along with a proper daily attendance system. He stressed the need to guarantee workers’ rights to freely choose employers, negotiate wages and work in a safe environment.

Ishwar Sunar, central president of the National Free Haliya Society Federation Nepal, emphasized the importance of implementing equal pay for equal work, noting that wage discrimination persists due to societal perceptions that consider women weaker than men.

Similarly, S.B. Luhar, president of the National Haliya Mukti Samaj, highlighted the need for workers to organize and refuse employment below the prescribed wage. He also stressed that safety equipment and insurance should be mandatory for hazardous work.

According to him, factors such as poverty, illiteracy, debt, landlessness, discrimination, lack of employment opportunities, limited public awareness and weak implementation of government policies contribute to the persistence of forced labor.

Freed Kamaiya leader Bhagiram Chaudhary underscored the need for effective state policies to protect poor families compelled to work for low wages. Another leader, Ram Prasad Rana, emphasized the importance of organized efforts to secure workers’ rights, noting that effective policy implementation, strict monitoring, expanded social security and worker empowerment are essential to addressing the challenges faced by informal sector workers.