† 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.

Children at Higher Risk

Human traffickers exploit children from Burundi through domestic work and commercial sexual exploitation. Burundian children who are victims of human trafficking are also forced to cultivate maize, cassava, and other crops, in which they endure long hours, sleeping in the fields with little food which supervisors sometimes lace with hemp to increase productivity, expulsion without pay, abuse, torture, and arrest. Refugee children living in Tanzania are also increasingly subjected to commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor in farming in western Tanzania. In addition, children from underserved communities, particularly impoverished orphans and children with disabilities from rural areas, are frequently subjected to forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Finally, children in rural areas are vulnerable to child labor in agriculture and artisanal mining, and to human trafficking to urban centers, especially for domestic work.

Barriers to Education Access

Schools, particularly in rural areas, lack adequate teachers, classrooms and desks, and sanitation facilities, which disproportionately impacts girls. Families are often required to financially contribute to offset these deficits and pay for the costs of uniforms and learning materials. Schools are also not sufficiently equipped to serve children with disabilities and learning difficulties. In 2021, the government reversed its longstanding practice of expelling girls who became pregnant from school. However, girls can still be removed from school during the duration of their pregnancy, which reduces the likelihood that they will return to education.

In 2024, the government passed amendments to improve anti-trafficking in persons and child protection legislation. The Cyber Crimes Act was amended to provide definitional clarity on child sexual abuse material, child sexual exploitation material, and child pornography, and to criminalize the possession, distribution, and creation of child sexual abuse material, the grooming of a child, and arranging to meet or solicit a child through a computer for sexual purposes. Additionally, the Law of the Child Act was amended to increase minimum penalties for offenses contravening the rights of a child, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act was amended to create an Anti-Trafficking Secretariat.

Although the Mainland government has a list of hazardous work activities for children, the types of hazardous work prohibited for children do not cover work in weeding and processing in the production of tobacco, cloves, coffee, sisal, and tea, areas of work in which there is evidence of unhealthy environments and use of dangerous equipment and tools. The Mainland government also does not stipulate penalties for using children for illicit activities, including in the production and trafficking of drugs. In addition, 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. Furthermore, as the compulsory education age in both the Mainland and Zanzibar is below the minimum age for work, children are vulnerable to child labor because they are not required to attend school but are not legally permitted to work. The Mainland also lacks a legal standard mandating free basic education for children, though it supports free basic education through a policy. However, the National Education Act authorizes local education authorities to assess school fees at their discretion, which may contravene any future legal standards to provide free basic education. Finally, the law on state voluntary military recruitment falls below international standards because it sets no minimum age for recruitment with a guardian’s permission, nor does it establish sufficient safeguards for voluntariness.

In 2024, 92 labor inspectors conducted 19,040 worksite inspections, and the number of violations of child labor is unknown. It is also unknown how many investigations into the worst forms of child labor were conducted, but there were at least 17 prosecutions and 4 convictions.

* Policy was approved during the reporting period.
† The government has other policies that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor.

‡ 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.

Download the 2024 Bibliography