An established West African practice of sending children away to study is reportedly being used as a cover for human trafficking, according to human rights groups. Thousands of boys, some as young as five, are said to be forced to beg daily on the streets of cities in Senegal, including Saint-Louis.
These children, known as talibés or students of the Qur’an, are sent by their parents from impoverished rural areas, and as far as Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, with the belief they will receive an education in Qur’anic schools, called daaras. However, some Qur’anic teachers, or marabouts, are reportedly exploiting these children for money rather than educating them.
Issa Kouyaté, founder of Maison de la Gare, a Senegalese organisation supporting talibés, states, “It’s not about the Qur’an – it’s about the money.” Human Rights Watch estimated in 2019 that at least 100,000 talibés were forced to beg in Senegal for food, money, or both.
Fatimata M’Baye, a Mauritanian human rights activist, notes that while the practice was once socially accepted, it is increasingly becoming exploitation, mistreatment, sexual abuse, and trafficking, especially when children migrate between countries. Talibés in the worst daaras reportedly face daily abuse, including quotas for money earned from begging and severe beatings if targets are not met. Some have been found shackled in chains.
Many daaras are described as run-down shacks or rooms in abandoned buildings, often lacking electricity, running water, and proper toilets. The overcrowded and unsanitary conditions frequently lead to severe skin infestations among the children.
Rights groups claim that government efforts to end the practice have been limited and ineffective, facing obstruction from marabouts who oppose reform. A 2005 anti-trafficking law prohibits forced begging and smuggling, but judicial investigations are reportedly subject to pressure from religious leaders, the community, or politicians.