THE TALIBES: WHO ARE THEY?
The talebé are children entrusted by relatives to Koranic schools (daaras) for their religious education. For many families, the Koranic school is an important step in the religious education of young Senegalese Muslims.
For several decades, these children, often forced to beg, walk the streets of Dakar, the Senegalese capital, and elsewhere in Senegal every day.
The number of Talibé children in the country is difficult to quantify because there is no nationwide study that allows for an overall count. However, a study conducted in 2018 by the NGO Global Solidarity Initiative estimates the number to about 200,000 in Dakar alone, of which at least 25% practice forced begging.
VICTIMS OF ANY FORM OF ABUSE
We see them every day. Yet nothing changes.
Forced begging, the tip of the iceberg
Most Quranic teachers provide lessons, shelter, and food for talibé children at no cost to their parents and guardians. But in order to feed them and even support themselves, these Koranic teachers force the talibé children to beg on the street.
The day for some of these children usually begins with a 5am wake-up call to learn the Quran before being sent off to beg for hours, in the morning, afternoon or even in the evening. This operating system benefits Koranic teachers but also parents/guardians. This prompts children to develop strategies for giving themselves moments of respite.
You have to pay 400 to 450 CFA francs (€0.69) per day [au maître coranique] but it may happen that we collect more. In this case, I can save the change to pay the next day and go play or rest instead of begging.
A talibé child
Taking children off the street is not enough. They must also be protected within the daara.
Since 2016, the state of Senegal has implemented several programs that have removed nearly 10,000 Talibé children from the streets. In addition to forced begging, talibé children are sometimes subjected to physical violence (beatings and injuries) which can sometimes lead to death.
When I was a talibé, one of my classmates, Amadou*, who was in the same daara as me, stammered and spoke badly. One day, as he was struggling to recite, the Koranic master hit him on the head with his wooden tablet. Amadou died two days later…
Abdou*, a former talibé child met on the premises of an association
Placing shackles on the feet of talibé children is also a common practice within the daara. Not to mention sexual assault, even if the number of cases is underreported to the police.
Children like everyone else who deserve to be protected
It is time to respond to the needs of talebé children, particularly in terms of hygiene, health, nutrition, social protection or even comfort.
If I could change anything in my daily life it would be to have clean clothes, shoes and a mattress to sleep on. In the daaras they are the older ones who sleep on mattresses. The children sleep on the mats.Ibou*, a talibé child met by our researchers
These children dream of being bricklayers, doctors, ministers, soccer players, taxi drivers or Koranic teachers. These childhood dreams can be made possible thanks to the adoption of the Children’s Code in Senegal which would protect them thanks to the following provisions:
Protection against economic exploitation that would ban child begging and exposure to child begging in all circumstances and in all its forms throughout Senegal.
Penalties for those who organize or attempt to organize the begging of a minor for the purpose of profiting from it.
The person to whom the child is entrusted must have the resources necessary for his education, protection and development.
PROTECTION AGAINST ABUSE, MISTREATMENT AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE.
The right to life, survival and development.
The right to health and medical services.
The right to leisure and rest.
Ask the Senegalese authorities to show courage and protect the children.
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