Although responsible business practices offer substantial benefits to firms and their stakeholders, including children, evidence shows that only a minority of companies implement them. Despite growing private-sector interest in approaches that safeguard children’s rights, much of the existing literature remains narrowly focused on child labour. The extant literature overlooks the broader children’s rights and business agenda. In Tanzania, there has been limited understanding of the extent to which workplace practices are responsible. This study examined how private sector companies implement child-sensitive responsible business practices. The research questions sought to understand responsible business practices in the workplace and their impact on children, a unique stakeholder group. This study involved fifteen (15) companies across financial services, food and beverages, telecommunications, hospitality, and agro-processing sectors. Using an exploratory, interpretivist research design, the study employed multiple data collection methods, including 90–120-minute in-depth interviews with human resource and corporate affairs representatives. Data were analyzed using Template Analysis, comparing observed practices with the ideal standards of children’s rights. Findings show that most surveyed companies have internal policies and procedures that promote family-friendly work environments and discourage child labour. However, this commitment was not as evident in their supply chains. Suppliers and contractors who are not bound by responsible business requirements thus create risks for children’s rights. The study recommends a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach, including stronger government inspections, local community involvement, awareness-raising, and law enforcement, to effectively protect children across the entire value chain.
Masele et al. (Fri,) studied this question.