MIRKO MANCINELLI

Lalitpur: You had better be worried if you are enjoying a carefree World Cup night while forcing a child to work in your house. Like the players, you may well get a red card for your behaviour.

Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City is starting a 'red card awareness' campaign to socially ostracise those homeowners who employ children. Gyani Bahadur Khadka, Community Development Chief, said that they thought of the idea to attract the attention of people.

The city has already distributed 60,000 pamphlets and cards requesting households to desist from hiring children. "World Cup fever has caught everyone. We thought this would be the best way to raise awareness in the community," Sarita Maharjan of the Metropolitan Office said. According to Maharjan, families employing children will be identified and given red cards if they are found to be guilty of abuse. "The names of the abusers will be made public and they will be socially ostracised," she said.

The sub-metropolitan office has collaborated with Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN) to run this campaign. Community study centres have been opened in Kusunti, Tikhedewal and Kupondole, and about 30 former child workers are studying here. There are plans to send these children to school after one year of study in the centres.

The sub-metropolitan office will also set up child protection committees in all wards for monitoring purposes, and about half a dozen are already operational. Volunteers from the committees, the sub-metropolitan office's staff and CWIN will carry out monitoring, hand out red cards and rescue children if they are being abused.