A recent study has presented an alarming picture that about 2,200 children are employed in transportation sector in the Kathmandu Valley.

A search carried out by Child Workers Concern Centre in Nepal (CWIN) said of the total children employed in the transportation sector, 826 of them were working in microbuses, 780 in three-wheelers and 589 in buses and mini-buses as a helper.

Presenting a field report on Tuesday, researcher Govinda Subedi said that most of the children are working for 9 to 16 hours. He said that transportation is one of the worst child-working sectors.

The study also said the child workers are not given any contract letter.

The study said that they found children in 1,500 vehicles were not protected and had no health insurance that accounted for high rate of physical injuries and health hazard.

About 44 percent of them have received various kinds of injuries, 16 percent cuts and 11 percent bone fractures while 21 percent have headache and cough. About three quarters of them have been facing some sort of exploitation and abuse, mostly physical and psychological, it added.

The report found that 50 percent of them were forced to work as there was no one to support them while 66 percent earn for their families.

Apart from their regular jobs at the vehicles, 33 percent of them are forced to do household works for the owners and drivers. They are paid Rs 930 per month excluding food.

The report said that 50 percent of such children use tobacco and 20 percent of them drink alcoholic beverages. About 53 percent children sleep in the vehicles, 22 percent in their houses, 19 percent in rented houses, 3 percent in hotels and a little over 1 percent sleeps in street and temples.