Parenting practices and attitudes instigating and perpetuating child labour in mining communities in Tanzania

Abstract

Child labour elimination is a challenge in almost all countries worldwide. Studies show that child labour is deep-rooted within households where it is produced and supplied to various economic sectors as specifically demanded. The knowledge about how it evolves within the household during an individual’s childhood is complex. This study explores the influence of parenting practices and attitudes on the genesis of child labour in small-scale gold mining communities in Tanzania. A qualitative research approach was adopted during the investigation. A purposefully selected sample of 73 participants obtained from the population of mining communities in Tabora and Shinyanga was used. Primary data were collected using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, while secondary data were gathered from grey literature. The collected qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. The major findings established that the problem of child labour evolves and is perpetuated during an individual’s childhood due to households’ parenting practices and attitudes towards child work. It is proposed that the government, policymakers and other stakeholders responsible for the elimination of child labour should design and implement intervention policies and programmes aimed at changing parenting attitudes of community members and practices towards child work.