Children in Tanzania are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in forced labor in mining, quarrying, and domestic work. (1-3) Children also perform dangerous tasks in agriculture. (1,4) Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Mainland Tanzania.

Source for primary completion rate: Data from 2019, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2021. (5)
Source for all other data: International Labor Organization's analysis of statistics from National Child Labour Survey (NCLS), 2014. (1,6)

Based on a review of available information, Table 2 provides an overview of children's work by sector and activity.

† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

Human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign children in sex trafficking and forced labor in Tanzania, and traffickers exploit children from Tanzania abroad. Traffickers exploit individuals from underserved communities—particularly impoverished children, orphans, and children with disabilities from rural areas—in forced labor in domestic work, mining, agriculture, and begging, as well as commercial sexual exploitation in urban areas, such as Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mbeya, and Mwanza. (3) Parents, particularly from poor and rural households, entrust their children to the care of wealthy relatives and community leaders who sometimes coerce the children to perform domestic work. (3,26) Exploitation of girls in commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor in domestic service frequently occurs in tourist hubs along the Kenyan border and may occur in Zanzibar. (2,19,27,28) Although child trafficking primarily occurs internally within Tanzania, traffickers also exploit migrant children, particularly from Burundi and Rwanda, in domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation. (2,3,29) According to reports, refugee children living in Tanzania are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation, including commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as result of human trafficking, and forced labor in farming in western Tanzania. (3,30,31)

Children in Tanzania engage in a number of hazardous work activities, including mining, quarrying, and working on tobacco plantations. (4) Children working in mining are exposed to hazards, such as mercury poisoning and being trapped when tunnels collapse, especially in smaller unlicensed operations. (16,17,32,33) A 2019 report identified children grinding and pounding rock for production of gravel in Pemba. The children working at these sites were using dangerous tools and were exposed to being hit by rock fragments. (13) The Mainland 2019 Statistics Act restricts the sharing of government-collected data and information with people and organizations, including information related to child protection and child labor. (2,34)

Schools, particularly in rural areas, lack adequate teachers, classrooms and desks, food, and sanitation facilities. (11,25) Families are often required to financially contribute to offset these deficits and pay for costs of uniforms, books, and other school materials, creating economic barriers to education for some children. (2,11,35) In addition, schools often lack resources for children with disabilities or learning disorders, resulting in many of these students dropping out and becoming vulnerable to child labor. (2,11)

In November 2021, the government issued a circular outlining the unconditioned readmission to school of girls who previously left education on account of a pregnancy. The circular marks a departure from senior government officials' past endorsement of a practice by which schools expelled girls who had become pregnant and denied them the opportunity to return to school following their pregnancy. (36-38) This practice, which had been backed by senior-level government officials, had led to girls being subject to forced pregnancy tests and expulsion for morality if they were pregnant, making them vulnerable to the worst forms of child labor. (11,36) Under the government's new position, girls can return to education following the completion of their pregnancy. (37) Girls, however, can still be removed from school during the duration of their pregnancy, which reduces the likelihood that they will return to education. (39)

Tanzania has ratified all key international conventions concerning child labor (Table 3).

The government has established laws and regulations related to child labor (Table 4). However, gaps exist in Tanzania’s legal framework to adequately protect children from the worst forms of child labor, including a lack of minimum age protections for children in domestic work.

*Country has no conscription (48)

Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar’s non-union matters are governed by distinct territorial jurisdictional laws, leaving each territory to determine its own child labor laws. (10,44) The minimum age for work laws in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar do not meet international standards because they do not extend to all working children, including children engaged in domestic work. (40,42,43) Mainland Tanzania’s hazardous work list for children does not specify weeding and processing as activities that are dangerous agricultural tasks in the production of tobacco, cloves, coffee, sisal, and tea. (32,40,41,52) In addition, Mainland Tanzania does not stipulate penalties for using children for illicit activities, including in the production and trafficking of drugs.

Although Zanzibar has a policy establishing compulsory education through age 15, this standard has not been put into law; the Education Act stipulates a compulsory education age of 13, which is below the minimum age for work. (50,51) In the Mainland, there is no free basic education for children as established by law, and the compulsory education age is below the minimum age of work, increasing the risk of children’s involvement in child labor. (49)

The government has established institutional mechanisms for the enforcement of laws and regulations on child labor (Table 5). However, gaps exist within the operations of enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate enforcement of their child labor laws.

Labor Law Enforcement

In 2021, labor law enforcement agencies in Tanzania took actions to address child labor (Table 6). However, gaps exist within the authority and operations of the labor ministries that may hinder adequate labor law enforcement, including insufficient financial resources.

As the law in Zanzibar treats child labor as a criminal offense, labor inspectorates may initiate prosecutions for violations related to child labor. (42) Mainland inspectors may issue compliance orders, notifying employers of labor violations; however, these orders do not stipulate a specific financial or other penalty. (55) The Mainland government did not provide information on labor enforcement efforts for inclusion in this report. (10)

Despite regulations in both the Mainland and Zanzibar requiring that one or more labor officers be assigned to each region, research was unable to determine whether this was followed during the reporting period. An international organization reported that there are only 73 labor inspectors in the Mainland, although the Mainland government has not provided information on the size of its labor inspectorate. (59,60) Although the number of labor inspectors is unknown, according to the ILO's technical advice of a ratio approaching 1 inspector for every 40,000 workers in least developed economies, Tanzania would need to employ roughly 726 labor inspectors because its workforce consists of over 29 million workers. (25,59,61,62)

Figures on Mainland labor inspectorate funding remain unavailable, but NGOs have noted that labor enforcement efforts would benefit from additional funding and increased numbers of inspections. (53) Although the government has a complaint mechanism for individuals to report potential cases of child labor, research indicates this mechanism is not consistently used because of insufficient tools and resources and budgetary constraints. (58) The Zanzibar labor inspectorate, meanwhile, lacks sufficient personnel, office facilities, transportation and fuel, and other resources to adequately enforce child labor laws. (2)

Criminal Law Enforcement

In 2021, criminal law enforcement agencies in Tanzania took actions to address child labor (Table 7). However, gaps exist within the operations of the criminal enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate criminal law enforcement, including a lack of published information on criminal law enforcement efforts.

The Mainland government did not provide complete information on its criminal law enforcement efforts for inclusion in this report. The Anti-Trafficking Secretariat, however, reported that in 2021, it had rescued and assisted 56 children from human trafficking for forced labor, including in domestic service; the children were ages 14 to 18. (63) Officials also undertook 113 investigations and 18 prosecutions related to human trafficking; however, the government did not provide information on ages of victims to determine whether these pertained to worst forms of child labor. (24) An NGO operates a child abuse hotline and in 2021 reported 30 complaints of child labor to government authorities, resulting in referrals to health and social services providers, parental interventions, and, in some cases, referrals to criminal investigative authorities. (64)

In 2021, immigration officials repatriated 543 migrant children to their countries of origin in Burundi (402), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2), Rwanda (86), Uganda (51), Zambia (1), and Ethiopia (1) as part of a national crackdown on immigration. Many of these children were reportedly in child labor in domestic service, farming, and herding cattle and livestock. (65) The children received care before being returned to their countries of origin. (66)

The government has established mechanisms to coordinate its efforts to address child labor (Table 8). However, gaps exist that hinder the effective coordination of efforts to address child labor, including inefficacy of coordinating bodies with respect to their mandates.

The government has established policies related to child labor (Table 9). However, policy gaps exist that hinder efforts to address child labor, including a lack of implementation of existing policies.

* Mechanism to coordinate efforts to address child labor was created during the reporting period.
‡ The government had other policies that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor. (51,53,71)

Tanzania does not have a law requiring free public education, but it does have an education policy that allows children to attend primary school and lower secondary school without paying tuition fees. (72) The Mainland government, however, regulates access to secondary education through the Primary School Leaving Examination. Students who do not pass the exam do not have an opportunity to re-take the exam and must drop out of public school at the end of compulsory education at age 14. (68) Despite its stated intention to phase out the exam by 2021, there is no evidence that the government has made efforts or preparations to do so. (68,73,74)

Since 2006, the Zanzibar government has administered education under the Zanzibar Education Policy, which establishes compulsory education through Form 4 (approximately age 15). (51,75) However, research indicates that implementation of this policy has been slow due to limited resources and teachers within schools. (76) The Zanzibar Education Policy, moreover, does not include child labor elimination and prevention strategies. (51) Research indicates that a large proportion of students in Zanzibar leave the formal education system below the minimum age for work, leaving them at increased risk for child labor. (77)

In 2021, the government funded and participated in programs that may contribute to eliminating or preventing child labor (Table 10). However, gaps exist in these social programs, including the inadequate scope of programs to address child labor in all relevant sectors.

* Program was launched during the reporting period.
† Program is funded by the Government of Tanzania.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor. (53) 

During the reporting period, the government committed to allocating additional resources to address barriers to education, particularly the shortage of school desks. The government received a $576 million COVID-19 Rapid Credit Facility loan from the IMF, including $100 million for Zanzibar, with some of the funds directed to construct 15,000 classrooms in secondary schools and 3,000 in primary schools, as well as latrines in Mainland Tanzania; in addition, the government directed schools to cease sending children home from school because they lack appropriate uniforms or school supplies. (25)

An evaluation of Tanzania's Conditional Cash Transfer Program found that it had achieved little reduction of child labor, because the work of children only shifted from outside to inside the household. Furthermore, the program had not achieved reductions in excessive working hours and engagement in hazardous activities among children. (79)

The scope of government-funded social programs is inadequate in that it does not cover other forms of agriculture beyond tobacco, nor does it include construction, domestic service, fishing, and informal sectors in which children engage in child labor.

Based on the reporting above, suggested actions are identified that would advance the elimination of child labor in Tanzania (Table 11).

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