The Household Factors Determinants of Child Labour in Tanzania

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.