Study of child labour in tobacco growing areas in Uganda, SODECO, June 2002.

This study was commissioned by British American Tobacco Uganda Ltd to identify the prevalence of child labour and the conditions of children working in tobacco growing areas in Uganda.

Executive Summary

This study on child labour in tobacco growing areas of Uganda, was initiated and fully sponsored by British American Tobacco Uganda Ltd (BATU). Given their prominent position in the tobacco industry locally and internationally and their corporate image and obligation to conduct their business responsibly in the communities where they operate  BATU sanctioned the undertaking of this study. Engaging child labour does not only impair the full development of the child engaged, but is also illegal and contravenes the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, to which Uganda is a signatory.

Aims of the research

Against the above background, BATU contracted Social Development Consultants Ltd. (SODECO) to:

• Determine the socio-economic and cultural environment of child labour in Uganda’s tobacco growing areas;
• Establish the nature, magnitude, causes and effects of child labour in tobacco growing areas;
• Find out any ongoing efforts to address the child labour problem in Uganda’s tobacco growing areas;
• Generate suggestions on how to effectively deal with the problem of child labour in tobacco growing areas of Uganda.

Methodology

SODECO employed both quantitative and qualitative methods in this study of child labour in tobacco growing areas in the district of Arua, Apac, Masindi and Rukungiri. A total of 1627 tobacco farmers from the named districts were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Quantitative data was enhanced by qualitative data obtained from 60 Key Informant interviews from the districts under study, and Focus Group discussions with 200 child labourers (50 child labourers per district). Data obtained was scientifically analysed using computer packages to generate results which were consequently interpreted in light of the study objectives.

Findings

The study found that tobacco growing, which is at household small farms, was a very important and indispensable economic activity for most of the households in the study area and that child labour was universally prevalent in all these areas, either as family labour, or hired labour.

Boys were found to be more affected than girls (ratio 2:1) and the average age was 9.2 years with a range of 4-18 years. Major causes of child labour were found (in order of importance) to be – household poverty, low cost of child labour, ignorance of the law and its effects on child labour, HIV/AIDS, insecurity/internal displacement. The study recommends that child labour should be acknowledged to exist. There must also be demonstrated willingness to address this problem by all the parties concerned.

Among the measures recommended are; coalition building among key stakeholders, withdrawal of these children and sending them either to school or for vocationalisation, fighting household poverty, sensitization and awareness campaigns targeting farmers, communities and children themselves, review of existing legal framework on child labour and intensification of social service programmes especially in the field of education, so as to attract and retain these children in schools.

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