Comparison of Direct Estimation and Network Scale-Up Method for Prevalence Estimation of Child Trafficking in Sierra Leone

• Activity Number: 526 - Trends in Sample Design
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 11, 2022 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Survey Research Methods Section
• Author(s): Hui Yi* and Kyle Vincent and David Okech and Jody Clay-Warner and Jiacheng Li and Tenshi Kawashima and Timothy Edgemon
• Companies: University of Georgia and Independent Researcher and Consultant and University of Georgia and University of Georgia and University of Georgia and University of Georgia and Auburn University
• Keywords: Child Labor; Child Trafficking; Direct Estimation; Household Survey; Network Scale-Up Method

Abstract

Child trafficking has been highlighted as a growing problem in Sierra Leone. However, there has been little investigation or research into the local problem. In response, the purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of and characteristics relating to these populations. Two statistical methodologies were used. Direct Estimation involved a probability-based, stratified, and clustered multistage sampling design in which 3,070 households were visited in selected districts where adult respondents were invited to participate in a survey about trafficking-related activities of children residing in the household. The need for more innovative and robust estimation procedures for studying hidden populations motivated using the Network Scale-Up Method, which involved asking these same respondents about trafficking-related activities of children in their network. As conjectured, the estimates were found to be markedly different. The findings and interpretation of these results are presented, along with recommendations for future studies.