The Socio-economic Determinants of Child Labour in Tanzania

This paper examined the socio-economic based factors which are determinants of child labour in small scale gold mining in Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined basic needs, family source of income and school support 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 - statistics and artificial intelligence software like IBM- SPSS, Stata and Neural designer. The study found that the child labour determinants under socio-economic based factors were basic needs, source of income and school support of the respondents Moreover, the researcher found that macro-sociology focuses on the structures, groups and classes embedded within socio-economic factors under the umbrella of basic needs, source of income and school support. The study concludes that the fundamental determinants of child labour practices in small scale gold mining in Tanzania are socio-economic based factors. The study recommends to parents and society, in general, to establish a divertive or alternative source of income for their children and increase economic support such as providing basic needs and school uniforms. Moreover, from this finding, the study recommends for improving entrepreneurship skills and micro-economic activities that are socially based. It will increase the child's creativity and the parent's economic support increases. Moreover, the study recommends prioritizing basic needs, source of income and school support analysis for solving individual economic problems so as to eradicate child labour practices in Geita.