Phenomenon High incidence of child labour in the carpet industry

Change Goal - Reduction in the use of child labour

The Situation:
Although it is illegal to employ child below 14 years of age in Nepal, Kul Gautam, former assistant
secretary-general of the UN and ex-deputy executive director of Unicef believe that the children
working in carpet industry is around 10,000. (Balch, 2014). Child labour was very common in
the early 1990s. It went down significantly I think by about 75% - thanks to GoodWeaves
work but now, because many companies cannot hire adult labourers, they are employing
children again, says Gautum. But recently, GoodWeave an organization working against the child
labour find higher number of child labour engaged in Carpet industries recently.
The possible cause and effects of high incidence of child labour in Nepal are as below:
Effects:

Causes:

Poverty
Unemployment
Illiteracy
Demand of cheap labour
Lack of awareness about rights
and responsibilities
Political insurgency due to
Civil war
Proper implementation of law

Uncertain future of child

Increase in illiteracy
Increase in poverty
Reduces human development index of
the country
Physical or mental injuries or illness
of child
Minimizes industrial growth

The causes and effects are interrelated and they can be discussed. We cannot argue that child labour
had negative effect in society. In short, child labour weaken the society and thus, it need to be
changed.
Objective of Change:
In order to create better Nepal, objective here is to make Carpet industry child labour free, which
might multiply the effect and make the society and the whole country child labour free.

Submitted by: Aayush Nidhi Tiwari, Sudan Pudasaini, Surendra Pandey, Usha Panth

Force field Analysis:

Before any changes is made, restraining forces and driving forces need to be identified and
adequate strategy is needed to be developed. Based on our understanding following forces were
identified. The forces are shown in the figure below. The impact of forces are also shown where 5

Labour Demand

Income

Disinterest towards
Education

Family
Problem

Desired State
Child
labour free
Carpet
industry

Social Awareness

Social Status

Safety Concerns

Pressure Groups

Law
Implementation

Attraction towards
new environment

Cheap Labour

Restraining Forces

Poverty and Illiteracy

is the highest effect and 1 is the lowest effect.

Current State
High Child
labour
Carpet
industry

Driving Forces

Restraining forces:
The forces which is restricting carpet industry to be child free are
1. Attractiveness towards new environment
More child of village are attracted towards new environment or city life which make them
introduced to child labour market.
2. Cheap labour
Child labour are generally cheaper than adult labour. Thus, industry prefer child labour.
3. Family Problem
Various social or economic problem of a family forces child to labour force.
4. Income
Submitted by: Aayush Nidhi Tiwari, Sudan Pudasaini, Surendra Pandey, Usha Panth

Income from the working attract various child to the labour market.
5. Disinterest towards education
Many child are not interested in education thus, engage themselves in labour forces.
6. Demand in labour market
Due to migration of labour forces, there is a gap between the demand of labour and its supply
which is fulfilled by the child labour.
7. Poverty and illiteracy:
Poverty are the result as well as the cause of child labour. Illiteracy among the people all
increase the entry of child into labour market.
Driving Forces:
The driving forces to reduce no. of child labour from carpet industry are as below:
1. Law implementation
Although law of Nepal prohibit children below 14 years to be engaged in labour force, it
implementation is lacking. Effective implementation of existing law will reduce the
involvement of child into labour force.
2. Pressure groups
Various human right or child right agencies acts as a pressure group which raise their voices
against the use of children in certain industries. Organization like GoodWeave especially
works for the children who are involved in carpet industries.
3. Safety concerns
Using of child labour in carpet industry is not safe from the perspective of health. This concerns
are also working as a driving forces to abolish child labour from carpet industries.
4. Social Status
Use of child labour are one of the great issues in our society as well as in international platform.
Product which doesnt involve child labour are welcomed and promoted in international
business platform whereas product using child labour are discouraged. This is also one of the
driving force of reducing child labour from carpet industries.
5. Social awareness
Aware people understand the critical aspect of involving child into labour market. Increase in
social awareness will definitely reduce involvement of child labour in carpet industries.

Submitted by: Aayush Nidhi Tiwari, Sudan Pudasaini, Surendra Pandey, Usha Panth

Here we can see that restraining forces are dominant thus we will encounter strong resistance
during change program. As the result we need to increase our driving forces and reduce the
restraining forces.
Program for changing the situation:
a) Model: Lewins change management model
b) Target of Change: reduction of use of child labour in carpet industry.
c) Degree of resistance: High
d) Type of change: evolution (A transformational change for carpet industry where no child
labour will be used.and will be supported from different stages and inter related initiatives)
e) Time frame: Moderate to high (considering various associates involved in the change
process)
f) Stake: moderate to High (Child labour is a critical issues and must be solved for better
society)
g) Proposed Strategy:
a. Empirical Rational Strategy
b. Power- coercive Strategy
c. Normative reeducative Strategy
d. Environmental Adaptive Strategy
h) Stake holders of change:
a. Government
b. Carpet industries
c. Children
d. Family who send children into labour market
e. Pressure groups
f. Law enforcing component of a society (eg. Police, court etc)
i) Change Leader: Government

Submitted by: Aayush Nidhi Tiwari, Sudan Pudasaini, Surendra Pandey, Usha Panth

Phase

Strategy

Unfreeze EmpiricalRational

Remark

Consequences

It requires understanding of change program by carpet industries, Decrease in restraining forces and
family and child labour itself. Hence all these stake holders need to be increase in driving force.

Power-Coercive communicated properly the change program that is being initiated. The

Change

Decrease in labour demand

benefits as well as the consequences of resisting change will be

Increase in awareness

communicated. For e.g.: If the owner of carpet industries doent support

Increases interest in education

change, then government will not support the organization to sell their
project nationally as well as internationally.

Decrease in illiteracy
Decrease in poverty

Decreases in child labour income

Decreases in family problem

Empirical-

These strategy will be used to continue the change process initiated and Motivation and participation of all the

Rational

guide and support the change program. Environmental adaptive stakeholders of change process. Family

Environmental

strategies will be used to transfer the carpet industries to shift from will support the process by not sending

Adaptive

current state. Normative reductive strategies is used to develop the their children to labour market and carpet

Normative

stakeholders capacity to solve the problem.

reeducative

For e.g.: increasing income of family or educating them will have labour. They all also compel to support

industry will not force or use child

Power-Coercive supporting effect in the change program. Providing training to carpet the change process because of strong
industries worker or providing lucrative benefits to them will attract implementation of law.
large group of labour to this industries.
Refreeze

Power-Coercive The industry is moved to the new state where no child labour is use. To Improvement of the carpet industry
Normative
reductive

- maintain this state, labour demand must be supplied to adequate product

and

development of manpower from eligible work force should be done. Maintenance

The industries and family associate should be supported to continue this industries.
change process.

Submitted by: Aayush Nidhi Tiwari, Sudan Pudasaini, Surendra Pandey, Usha Panth

quality
of

child

of

labour.

labour

free

Stage

Actions

Activities

Unfreeze

Organize meeting with the carpet industries Create Sense of Urgency

owners and managers

Need of child labour free industry to create beautiful society

Meeting will be conducted in the presence

To increase the quality of industry product

of pressure groups and the industries

To develop society economically and socially

representatives. The need and demand of Building Guiding Coalition

change will be communicated and Team of pressure groups, Government representatives and industry representatives
dissatisfaction towards the change program will be assembles who will support the change initiatives.
will be handled using coercion by the Form Strategic Vision and initiatives
government.

Vision of developing adult labour force in industry will be formulated and strategic

Vision and strategies are developed through initiatives to support such vision will be formulated. Vision of social development
collaboration with different stake holders.
through education and poverty elimination program will be developed and strategy
to achieve them will be formulated.
Enlist Volunteers Army
Large groups of pressure groups and volunteer will support the program. They are
well communicated about the process and will support the change process.
Change

Increase in supervision of carpet industries.

Enable action by removing Barriers

Implementation of development program

Various societal and economical barriers are removed through awareness program,

of society

development programs and pressure from the government.

Raise the awareness through volunteering

Generate short term wins

movement

Every development and awareness programs had short term objectives and will

Increase the supply of labour to carpet

evaluated accordingly. Goals are set in terms of geographical reach.

industry by providing benefits from

government

Submitted by: Aayush Nidhi Tiwari, Sudan Pudasaini, Surendra Pandey, Usha Panth

Refreeze

Conduct training of industries managers and Sustain Acceleration

Pressure groups.

Strong continuation of the program, policies and support from government in

Formulation of policies and supportive various level will sustain the program
program.

Institutionalized the change

Industries leaders and managers are trained and developed to ensure the
institutionalization of change. Proper mean or structure in term of policies to
suppress child labour activities will be developed.

Submitted by: Aayush Nidhi Tiwari, Sudan Pudasaini, Surendra Pandey, Usha Panth