Talibé and Children Rights Senegal

The issues related to the situation of Talibé Children in Senegal are numerous and deserve greater attention than they have received. Although there are many organizations currently active in the region, a viable national strategy is yet to be developed.

 

Talibés are children under the de facto care and education of Qur'anic scholars called Marabous in local educational facilities known as Daaras. Many of the children come from rural and often remote areas in Senegal or are brought in from surrounding countries under conditions which amount to trafficking. The children are frequently subjected to forced begging and cruel punishments if they fail to bring in their daily quota of rice or money to their Marabout.

 

SDGI is working together with La Maison de la Gare (MDG), a locally managed civil society organisation which works towards ending the harmful practices and provides health services, education and vocational training for a number of talibés in the city of Saint Louis.

 

SDGI has been working with MDG since 2007 when the initiative was first identified. SDGI has since been instrumental in:

    • Building and consolidating institutional capacity
    • Providing technical assistance and strategic co-operation advisory services
    • Co-ordination of partner networks
    • Creation and dissemination of communication tools and strategies such as website, newsletter, feeds
    • Fostering local economic development by facilitating the implementation of social entrepreneurial projects
    • Implementation of a locally managed volunteer programme and creation of relevant material such as Volunteer Handbook etc.

Some MDG milestones are:

    • Construction of a centre with three classrooms, one ‘activity room’, library and administrative facilities
    • Facilitating community multi-stakeholder dialogue in order to adequately meet local needs
    • Co-operation with Human Rights Watch report ‘Off the Back of the Children’
    • Signing of Common Declaration to the President of Senegal Regarding Systematic Abuse of Talibés
    • Member of national coalition ‘La Plate Forme’ for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
    • Meeting with UN Special Rapporteur on Child Labor
    • Invitation by Amnesty International to World Social Forum, Dakar, 2011
    • Instrumental in BBC report on ‘God’s Beggar Children’
    • Channel4 News Unreported World ‘Schools for Beggars’

 

For more information about the central issues regarding Talibé children in Senegal please consult documents and feeds below.

Other relevant documents (external):

 

  • Partner Links

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