Carpets are a popular textile product in households around the world. As a common international export from countries such as India and Nepal, carpets are in high demand, which places an urgency on business owners to produce large quantities of these products. Industries that require intricate designs for products such as carpets can lead to higher rates of child labor and exploitation for a variety of reasons. 

Nepal is a major global exporter of carpets, specifically for hand-knotted woolen carpets. Nepal exports its carpet textiles to more than 40 countries, and the industry is central to Nepal’s economy. Nepalese carpets are known for their unique texture and intricate patterns and designs. Complex weaving and knotting techniques are difficult for adults to master due to their larger hands, making children optimal “employees” in the industry. The carpet industry is part of the informal economic sector in Nepal, which has resulted in an increase in child laborers and a lack of governmental protection.

Children in Nepal are known to be subject to some of the worst forms of child labor, one being commercial sexual exploitation. While the Nepalese government has enacted multiple child labor laws, enforcement of these laws is often lackadaisical and inconsistent. Few on-site inspections are made at many workplaces, leading to low levels of reported legal violations. A lack of consistent oversight allows employers to more easily exploit child workers. This can transition children into other lines of work. For example, young boys and girls can be sexually abused after they are trafficked for labor into the carpet industries in Nepal. While labor exploitation was the initial form of trafficking, the children could later be transferred into full-time sex trafficking.

Major agents that contribute to trafficking in the carpet sector in Nepal reflect the systemic issues in the country, such as abject poverty and the inclination of families to use their children as laborers. A study conducted by the International Labor Organization found that almost 50% of actors in the trafficking recruitment process were relatives of the victim. The study found that children worked under “Thekedars” in the factory, who are relatives of the children who either work in or own the factories. In some cases, the wages of trafficked children are controlled by Thekedars, and the study was unable to confirm whether earnings were pocketed or truly sent home to victims’ families.

The dearth of research and data on this issue is reflective of the extent to which the problem of child labor and sex trafficking in Nepal has been ignored by the international community. Children who are trafficked into the carpet industry in Nepal not only suffer poor working conditions but they can also be sexually exploited to the point of entrapment into a larger sex trafficking network. Current legislation to combat this is inefficient, and more work is needed to understand the systemic cycle of inter-family trafficking. With the popularity of Nepalese carpets as a global export, importers can do more to pressure companies to seek ethical means of production. Since the majority of Nepalese carpets are exported to wealthy nations, these countries can exert pressure on the Nepalese government to reform the industry and help prevent the ongoing child labor crisis in the country.