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Whilst Senegal is
widely held as an example of a nation that has made a
successful transition from colony to independence with a
tolerant, secular society, there are on-going reports of the abuse
of tens of thousands of children who attend Koranic (or Quarnic)
residential schools. Around 50,000 boys, the majority
aged twelve and under, some as young as four, are sent to
these schools mainly by fathers who want them schooled in
Islamic tradition but also because of poverty and an inability
to provide for their children. Many of these children are from
villages in Guinea-Bissau.
However,
far from learning the Koran and the Islamic way of life,
most are learning how to beg on the streets for rice or a few coins, mainly in the
Senegal capital of Dakar. The begging takes place seven days a
week by the boys, known as talibe children (from the Arabic
for student), who are reported to suffer extreme neglect and
abuse by their so called teachers, known as 'marabouts'. The African director at the Human Rights Watch stated "Senegal
should not stand by while tens of thousands of talibe children
are subjected every day to beatings, gross neglect, and, in
fact, conditions akin to slavery."
Ironically whilst
these talibe street children beg for 5-7 hours every day
whilst away from home at school, their actual studies during
the evenings simply comprise the learning of verses of the
Koran off by heart so that when they leave school that's
pretty much all they can do with none of the broader education
that would assist them in finding adult employment. Part
of the failure to address this problem in Senegal, which has
tried various approaches including the banning of begging, is
that talibe children, having been schooled in religious
doctrine, are easy to control by religious leaders boosting
their brotherhood numbers and therefore their influence in the
community.
It's therefore in
the interest of these leaders to maintain the talibe role even
though the actual government is a signatory to all
international conventions on the rights of children and
incorporated them into national law. Apart
from the talibe, there are an estimated 6,000 - 10,000 street
children on the streets of Dakar, the country's capital city. These are the
children who have no where to return to and who are forced to
harass pedestrians, beg and run between passing cars in the
hope of finding lost change. At night they sleep in cardboard
boxes with rice sacks for blankets. Yet there are a
further 90,000 child beggars who do have homes to return to,
but are forced onto the streets by parents in the hope that
they will return with anything to supplement the meagre family
income. The video (below) provides some insight
into the lives of street children in Senegal. Also below is a directory of some projects and programs working in Senegal with these children who are looking for your support.
Senegal Street Children: Samu Social Senegal
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Senegal Street Children: Village Pilote
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Senegal Street Children: SOS Children's Villages
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Senegal Street Children: Sponsor Children In Senegal
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Senegal Street Children: Children in Senegal
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Senegal Street Children: Volunteer in Senegal
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Senegal Street Children: Senegal Country Profile
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