Central Department of Population Studies

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Vol VI, Population and Development in Nepal, February 1999

International Migration In Nepal
Bal Kumar KC
Data on international migration are lacking in Nepal because of infrequent studies on this important topic. This study utilizes data derived from a comprehensive migration study conducted in 600 locations of 73 out of 75 districts of Nepal. The study describes the salient demographic and socio-economic characteristics of immigrants and emigrants as revealed from the survey data. Some policy issues have been raised in this regard.

Child Nutrition And Its Correlates In Nepal
Prakash D. Pant
This study examines the socio-economic, demographic and health related correlates of the status of childhood nutrition in Nepal using data from the 1996 Nepal Family Health Survey (NFHS). Mothers with no education, fathers with no education and mothers who are not working outside home from among the socio-economic factors and, higher order births, children at higher ages and female sex of the child among the demographic factors were the variables working against improved nutritional status of children. Similarly, of the health related factors, the increased number of ANC visit, health facilities as place of delivery, average size of child at birth and the child whose mothers have visited the health facility within 12 months before the survey were found to have a favourable impact in determining the level of child nutrition in Nepal. The analysis reveals that the favourable influence of mother's education on the status of child nutrition could be partly working through household resources and better living conditions and partly due to its own rights as explained widely in the literature. The results of this study call for various interventions to improve overall level of the child nutrition situation for Nepal.

Contraception In Nepal: Prospects And Challenges
Bidhan Acharya
This paper focuses on the relationship between the use of contraceptives and some selected socio-economic and demographic variables. Using the data of Birth, Death and Contraception Survey conducted by the Central Department of Population Studies (CDPS) in 1996, the paper concludes that literacy is the most important variable for increasing the use of contraception. Women in early conjugal period did not practice contraception and those who practised already have more than 3 children. It is suggested that family planning programme should be vigorously launched in the rural areas of Nepal.

Male Sterilization In Nepal
Ram Sharan Pathak
As recognized in ICPD 1994, male involvement in family planning is one of the prime concerns in the matter of family building. Using service statistics and the findings of latest surveys, this paper focuses knowledge and use of male sterilization in Nepal. The overall prevalence rate of male sterilization has been found to be low. The reasons for low prevalence include low acceptability, lack of proper counseling, low priority by policy makers/managers, inadequate resource allocation, insufficient promotional activities, misinformation/myths, low participation of males in family planning and low attention to quality assurance.

Migrant Child Labour In Kathmandu Valley
Prabha Kumari Hamal
This study is based on the sample of 303 migrant children working in selected 13 sectors in Kathmandu Valley. Snowball technique has been used for interviewing respondents. Both quantitative and qualitative informations are used to draw conclusions. The major conclusions are: Child migration is age and sex selective. It is also caste/ethnic selective. More than 50 per cent have primary level of education originated from surrounding rural areas of Kathmandu Valley. The major reason for their migration is poverty in the origin although they have not improved much in the destination either.

Child Work And Education In Rural Nepal
Govind Subedi
This study utilising both quantitative and qualitative data has attempted to answer the following questions: Why are children working in rural Nepal? Do children miss school because they are working? Does children' s schooling vary with differences such as gender, poverty levels, caste/ethnicity and ecological zones? Opportunity cost of children going to school is substantially higher in relation to work. Children require to work in order to cope with livelihood strategies of households. More than one third of school-age children are out of school. The majority of them are girls, 'untouchables' and ethnic minority and poor children. The de facto regime of high indirect cost of primary education coupled with severe poverty has forced children into work rather than going school.

Demographic Challenge For Nepal: Caring For Elderly Population
Bhim P. Subedi
This paper highlights the socio-economic characteristics of elderly population in an attempt to understand some issues of this new generation of population in Nepal. Data used in this paper are based on the Migration, Employment, and Birth, Death and Contraception Survey, 1996 (MEBDCS) conducted by the Central Department of Population Studies (CDPS). Very little is known about ageing issues in Nepal and this paper argues that these issues are to be understood correctly and in the proper context. The issues of elderly population are to be addressed because these are inevitable features when society moves towards modernization. It concludes with a note that it is high time to understand elderly issues and look for support mechanism for them.

A Question Of Legitimacy Of Induced Abortion In Nepal
Bal Krishna Mabuhang
Feminist women and medical personnel argue that legalization of induced abortion is urgently needed in Nepal due high prevalence of unsafe abortion. Economic hardship characterized with low literacy rate, early age at marriage, agricultural dependency, and low level of contraceptive use may cause women to undergo induced abortion. Nepal Family Planning Health Status Survey (1996) conducted a nationally representative survey enumerating 8,429 ever married women. Data on whether a woman had ever terminated the pregnancy was available. The result showed that about 18 per cent women had terminated their pregnancy. Women with no education, agriculturally dependent and husbands who are reluctant to use contraceptive methods were found to be more likely to terminate the pregnancy.

Knowledge Of Hiv/Aids: Case Of Married Females Of Age 15-19 In Nepal
Laxmi Bilas Acharya
Many demographic studies have shown that education of women has multi dimensional effect. This analysis also came up with the finding that if women are educated at least up to secondary level they have very high chances of acquiring the knowledge AIDS. Similarly, husband' s education also has strong association with the knowledge of AIDS. Percentage of women with some secondary education is only 12 and that of women whose husband' s have some secondary education is 45. In this context it can be recommended that HIV/AIDS programmes should support universal school education policy of the government.

Socio-Economic, Demographic And Reproductive Health Profiles Of Adolescents In SAARC Countries
Rafiqul Huda Chaudhury
This paper provides a composite picture of adolescents in the SAARC countries on three major areas: demographic and socieconomic characteristics, marriage and childbirth, sexual and reproductive health status. Young people between the ages 10-19 constitute over one-fifth of the total population in the SAARC countries and will continue to grow rapidly. A sizeable number do not complete primary school. South Asian girls still marry early and many become mothers before they are 18 years old and children born to adolescent mothers have higher risk of mortality and morbidity. A large proportion of adolescent pregnancies are unplanned and with shorter spacing between them compared to older women. A large proportion of adolescent pregnancies are aborted in some countries of the region. Unmarried adolescents are more likely to seek abortions during the second trimester when the consequences can be particularly critical.