This policy brief aims to provide a descriptive picture of the condition of domestic workers in Nepal in regards to their access to health care, child care, and social protection benefits. The study is based on interviews with domestic workers from the Home Workers Union of Nepal (HUN), activists from the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), other domestic workers' organizations and relevant government officials. It is complemented by a survey of 70 domestic workers in Kathmandu.
The earthquake in April 2015 caused damage estimated at USD 7 billion – a third of Nepal’s gross domestic product. Rural women and marginal groups in remote areas suffered a disproportionate amount of damage and loss. Nepal’s global hunger index of 16.4 is “serious”; a quarter of the population lives in poverty, and the prevalence of malnutrition is high.
The Government of Nepal introduced the Child Grant in 2009/10 with the primary objective of supporting better nutrition for children under five years of age. To date, programme coverage has been limited to all under-fives in Karnali region and Dalit households in the rest of the country - approximately 16 per cent of the under-five population.
This report considers the existing range of programmes offering both employment and social protection in Nepal, including a range of Public Works Programme (PWPs) (including employment-intensive infrastructure programmes - EIIPs) and also the regional Karnali Employment Programme (KEP).
