Social Work Management of Child Labour in Small-Scale Mining Communities in Zamfara State

Child labour in artisanal and small-scale mining communities represents a complex intersection of poverty, education deficits, and occupational hazard that demands a professionally managed social work response. This study examines social work management approaches to child labour in small-scale mining communities in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria, focusing on gold-mining communities in Anka and Maru local government areas. A mixed-method design is employed, with 70 social workers, community leaders, school officials, and mining community families as respondents. Structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews are used, with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis applied. The study finds that children as young as eight are engaged in mining activities, performing tasks that expose them to toxic dust, physical injury, and educational exclusion. Social work interventions documented in the field include school re-enrolment drives, family awareness sessions, and referrals to conditional cash transfer programmes. These efforts are constrained by inadequate staffing, limited multi-agency coordination, and the economic dependency of households on child labour income. Recommendations include integrating social workers into regulatory mining oversight teams, developing community-led social contracts on child labour elimination, and expanding income support to households withdrawing children from hazardous work. Keywords: child labour, mining communities, social work management, Zamfara State, occupational hazard