Senegalʹs "talibes" – begging for Islam

Families across Senegal have long enrolled their children in schools called "daaras" to learn Islamic scripture and build character. The tradition of begging for food to instill humility – an integral part of this education – exposes many, however, to abuse and exploitation. By Juliette Jabkhiro

  • Mamadou Gueye (second right), a street child educator, and Issa Kouyate (left), founder of Maison de la Gare, an organisation that helps talibe street children reintegrate into society, escort an eight-year-old talibe boy and a teenager (green shorts) during a night patrol in Saint-Louis, Senegal, on 9 February 2019. Gueye and Kouyate rescued the boy when the teenager was raping him at a bus station (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
  • Issa Kouyate cries while talking to the boy who was raped (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    Issa Kouyate, founder of Maison de la Gare, cries as he listens to an eight-year-old Koran studentʹs account of what happened the previous night: the boy ran away from school, only to be raped several times by a teenager on the streets. "These things are still shocking, even when it is the tenth or fifteenth time you see them," says Kouyate, referring to the boy's case
  • Omar Wone, 8, from Futa, sits on the floor of the daara (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    Many daaras are free from problems of abuse. Success in a daara and strong knowledge of the Koran can lead to a prestigious position as an Imam or a Koranic teacher, known as a marabout. Many parents, often far away back home, are unaware of the risks some children face in the process
  • El Hadj Diallou, a former talibe, who became a medic at la Maison De la Gare, treats children with scabies at the daara (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    In recent decades, some rights groups say the school children, called talibes, have at times been kept by marabouts in dire conditions, forced to beg for money and beaten if they do not come back with enough. There are no safeguards for children who escape and find themselves alone on the streets, they say
  • Amadou, 7, looks at a woman as he begs at the entrance to a shop(photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    The ill-treatment of talibes was a largely taboo subject in Senegal, but awareness campaigns have slowly provoked debate. In 2016 President Macky Sall launched a plan ordering the removal of children from the streets and said those who force them to beg would be jailed
  • El Hadj Diallou (right), a former talibe, who became a medic at Maison De la Gare, talks with Ngorsek, 13 (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    About 300 hundred were helped by the programme in 2018, government figures show. "These are our children, and we are trying to involve everyone in protecting them," said Alioune Sarr, head of Child Protection in the Senegalese government. The government has set up a free hotline to report cases of child abuse, he said
  • A talibe eats as he begs in front of a hotel (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    A huge problem: Human Rights Watch says over 100,000 children are still sent out to beg. In Saint-Louis, as in the capital Dakar, groups of children weave through traffic asking for money, wearing shorts and ragged football shirts bearing the names of their millionaire heroes
  • Suleiman, 10, said: "I can't go to see my parents until I finish learning Koran" (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    Suleiman, 10, said: "I can't go to see my parents until I finish learning Koran... I have to bring back 200 francs a day to the marabout, otherwise I will be beaten up. Often I can't collect them"
  • Moussa, a talibe, from Futa, carries a bucket of water to take a shower (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    At Maison de la Gare, talibes can eat a sandwich, shower, wash their clothes and receive first aid assistance. There are opportunities to learn English and play sport
  • Demba attends karate training in the courtyard of Maison De la Gare (photo: Zohra Bensemra)
    "I'm learning karate so I can defend myself," said eight-year-old Demba, who said he was once forced by a teacher to stay out all night and beg for money, only to be robbed by a drunk man at 6 a.m.