Factors associated with child labour in the Busoga Region, Eastern Uganda

Abstract

Child labour continues to be a pressing social and economic issue affecting millions of children globally, hindering their physical, emotional, and mental development. The main objective of this study was to explore the factors associated with child labour in Busoga region. To achieve this, the study utilized secondary data obtained from the Uganda National Household Survey 2019/2020.The researcher employed chi-square distribution, binary, and multinomial logistic regressions to gain insights into the causes of child labour and the different variables that explain it, using a sample size of 2,440 children aged 5 – 17 years, in Busoga region. Findings from the binary logistic regression showed that children from large household sizes of 11 members and above were less likely to engage in child labour compared to their counterparts in small household sizes (OR = 0.265, CI 0.142 – 0.495). The study also shows that older children aged 14 – 17 years were less likely to engage in child labour compared to those 5 – 13 years (OR = 0473, CI 0.355 – 1.008). Conversely, the likelihood of child labour increased in tandem with household incomes (OR = 1.416, CI 1.081 -1.855). Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that children across various age groups (5-11 years, 12-13 years, and 14-17 years) were compelled by distinct factors to engage in child labour. Specifically, among children aged 12-13 years, the primary influencing factor for their involvement in child labour compared to the reference group of 5-11 years, was their place of residence (RRR = 0.342, CI 0.143 – 0.818). In contrast, children aged 14-17 years were more likely to be driven into child labour compared to children aged 5-11 years’ due factors such high household incomes (RRR =1.937, CI 1.082 - 3.466), not being related to the household head (RRR = 0.193, 0.057 – 1.652), paternal orphan hood (RRR = 5.490, CI 1.610 – 18.730), and the absence of the mother in the household (RRR = 2.747, CI 1.093 – 6.905). Derived from the study outcomes, it is apparent that child labour within the Busoga region is influenced by a combination of individual child-level and household-level factors. Consequently, strengthening labour laws, extension of social services such as education and financial services, and monitoring of sectors highly prone to child labour can collectively work towards mitigating this pressing issue.