Abstract
This study investigates the influence of household characteristics and incident settings on child abuse cases in Shinyanga Region, Tanzania. Grounded in Rational Choice Theory, the study assumes that perpetrators make calculated decisions influenced by household structure and contextual settings. Utilizing a quantitative research approach, cross sectional secondary data were collected from 401 reported child abuse cases at Shinyanga Regional Referral Hospital between July 2020 and April 2023. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the predictive influence of variables such as relationship to household head, history of abuse in the household, perpetrator identity, and location of the incident. Findings revealed that sexual abuse was more likely to be committed by strangers and in rural areas, while household members were mostly responsible for other forms of abuse. Interestingly, households with no history of abuse showed higher vulnerability, and parents were found to be less effective protectors than assumed. The study concludes that targeted awareness, parental engagement, and localized intervention strategies are essential to curbing child abuse. Limitations include reliance on secondary data, limited geographic scope, and lack of qualitative data to back support the quantitave data collected. Recommendations for further studies include exploring social structures, abuse typologies, and effective education methods for prevention.
Recommended Citation
Mapamba, Amani
(2025)
"Influence of Household Characteristics and Incident Setting on Child Abuse Cases in Shinyanga Region.,"
Tanzania Journal of Sociology: Vol. 11:
Iss.
2, Article 5.
Available at:
https://commons.udsm.ac.tz/tjso/vol11/iss2/5