Peer-reviewed article
The Household Factors Determinants of Child Labour in Tanzania
George Gheverghese Joseph ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined what household factors drive children to work in small-scale gold mining in Tanzania's Geita region. The researchers surveyed 209 people and found that three household factors—the number of children in a family, quality of parental care, and parental divorce—are the main determinants of child labour in mining. The study used a new measurement method called Eta Value to assess risk for children under 18 years old. The authors conclude that addressing these household factors is essential to reducing child labour in small-scale gold mining.
Key points
- Three household factors determine child labour in small-scale gold mining: number of children, parental care, and divorce
- The study surveyed 209 individuals from Nyang'hwale district in Geita region using a cross-sectional design
- A new method called Eta Value was developed to measure age risk for children working under 18 years
- Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square combined with statistical and artificial intelligence techniques
- The study recommends prioritizing analysis of household factors to eradicate child labour practices
Limitations
The study is limited to one district (Nyang'hwale) in one region (Geita) of Tanzania, so findings may not be generalizable to other mining areas or contexts. The document does not provide information on the strength of relationships between these household factors and child labour, or on potential interventions to address them.
Abstract
This paper examined the household factors deemed determinants of child labour in small scale gold mining in Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined number of children, parental care and divorce of the respondents which influence child labour practices in small scale gold mining (SSGM) in Geita region. Furthermore, the study used the case of Nyang’hwale district which is one of the districts in Geita region where SSGM activities are rampant compared to the rest of the districts. The study used a cross-sectional survey researches design. The primary data were collected by using questionnaires from 209 individuals who were systematically and randomly sampled from Nyang’hwale district in Geita region. Moreover, the study applied a newly developed method of measuring the age risk of children working under 18 years known as Eta Value. The researcher analyzed the data using the Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square (SEM PLS) with a combination of analytic techniques including statistics and artificial intelligence software. The study found that the child labour determinants under household factors were number of children, parental care and divorce level of the respondents. Moreover, the researcher found that micro-sociology focuses on the individual's micro aspects which are household – number of children, parental care and divorce. The study concludes that the fundamental determinants of child labour practices in small scale gold mining in Tanzania are household factors. The study recommends prioritizing number of children, parental care and divorce analysis for solving individual problems so as to eradicate child labour practices in Geita.