Child labour on the mat

GERMAN concern for child labour has hit carpet manufacturers in Nepal. A Panos report says that approximately 35 per cent of their export orders have fallen through and 100,000 sq metres of carpet meant for export lie in stores as a fallout of an adverse German television programme.

On April 28, a 15-minute documentary by the Panorama television channel in Germany claimed that children as young as 5 were employed by the Nepali carpet industry. The allegations were dismissed as "absurd" by Kamal Singh Karki, a leading carpet exporter and president of Nepal's Central Carpet Manufacturers' Association. Unconvinced, Nepal's labour ministry has warned carpet manufacturers not to employ children below 14 years.