In 2022 CLARISSA worked with 45 children between the ages of 12 and 17 in Kathmandu and Dhaka to explore how they navigate their day-to-day lives.
From when they wake to when they go to bed, the children and researchers combined the use of GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping, mini-surveys and observational data to document their experiences in their homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods.
Read about the day in the life of a working child.
Arpita, 16, works in a massage and spa venue.
Sushma, 17, works ten hours a day at a massage and spa venue.
Rinku, 15, has worked in a dance bar since she was 12.
Mona, 17, works in a dance bar from the early afternoon into the night. She has worked there since she was 12.
Simi, 17, works in a massage and spa venue in the Thamel area of Kathmandu and is a single mother to a three-year-old.
Chandra, 13, works in a garments factory to cover her family’s day to day living costs.
Shakib, 17, works long hours, six days a week and is put under a lot of pressure from his supervisors.
Sonju, 16, has been working since the age of nine as a helper in a factory.
Asha, 17, works in a factory sewing leather bags. She has worked since she was 13.
Kakoli, 13, works in a leather goods factory. She, like many of her colleagues, falsified her date of birth on her birth certificate in order to get her job.
Marisha, 14, works in a shoe factory and often works well into the night. During busy periods she works seven days a week, and does not have a day off for weeks on end.
Ramina, 17, works in a leather factory. Her official working hours are 9am until 6pm but she must do overtime every single day.
Manali, 13, works long hours in a leather factory where she performs hazardous tasks, experiences constant pain and discomfort and is verbally abused by her employers.
Aftab, 13, is the breadwinner of his family, neither of his parents are employed.
Rina, 14, works 12 hours a day, six days a week in a factory, where she operates machinery and experiences a lot of pressure and verbal abuse from her employers.
Jacky, 17, works 11 hours a day in a shoe factory.
Jhilik, 16, left school five years ago, because her family’s debt meant that her parents needed her to work and earn money.
Fahima, 16, frequently works from 8am until 10pm in a leather factory. At peak periods she works through the night.
Raj, 16, works for 11 hours a day for less than US$5.
Sagir is a 14-year-old boy who works 11 hours a day carrying leather hides and pinning leather sheets to the ground to dry.
Aadya works all day in a small,
hot factory cutting leather into
gloves. Her hands throb with pain.