The implications of liberalization of the fishing industry on children in fishing communities: a case of Kilindoni and Chole; Mafia district, Tanzania

This study investigates the implications of the liberalization of the fishing industry on children’s welfare in selected fishing communities. Besides, it examines whether or not there are government intervention initiatives put in place to alleviate children’s exposure to child labour. As the study is qualitative in nature, its data collection relied on a number of techniques, namely in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, fieldwork and observation. The combination of these methods (triangulation) was preferred so as to increase credibility of the findings. On the basis of the findings, it was revealed that the liberalization of the fishing industry brought forth the following: First, it opened up the fisheries sector which in turn prompted dynamism in the organization of labour thereby affecting the traditional fishing households. Whereas fishing was formerly undertaken by men alone, the expanded fisheries sector needed more workforce, as it had created more fishing tasks. It was in the light of this new context that both women and children joined in the fishing enterprise. The tasks they engaged in were washing fishing vessels, carrying fish from the boats to the shore and cleaning the fish. Secondly, an influx of migrant fishermen emerged from different parts of Tanzania in response to the expanded fisheries sector. Some of the newcomers were better equipped in terms of improved fishing gears and this posed a threat to the traditional fishing communities, as they latter could not compete favourably with the former. Thirdly, children from the fishing communities were facing a dilemma, as on the one hand, they were supposed to attend school as a future investment, but on the other hand, they wanted to work and earn money to meet their immediate needs. Apparently, the second option outweighed the first one, as truancy in schools became rife, particularly during the peak fishing season. Finally, traditions, norms and behavioural patterns in the fishing communities changed remarkably, for prostitution, abscondment from schools and fish pilfering were in full swing. On the basis of the above findings, the following recommendations are made: First, more research needs to be conducted on the role of parents and guardians in protecting children from the negative implications of changing contexts in fishing communities. Second, research should be developed on social protection measures for children that may be advanced by the government for fishing dependent communities. Third, the district has to think on supporting artisanal fishers with modern fishing gears as a new strategy of meeting the basic necessity of life at household level where women and children could benefit. Finally, it is important for research on liberalization of the economy to avoid approaches that generalize the situations of communities by adopting techniques that can identify the different issues impacting different categories of people in these communities, in this case children.