Reports
Child Rights and The Talibé System: A Senegalese Perspective
- GHRD Team
- 30 March 2026
- Child Rights, Forced Begging, Senegal, Talibé System
This report examines the Talibé system in Senegal from a child rights perspective, exploring how a historically rooted Islamic education tradition has, in many contexts, transformed into a system marked by forced begging, exploitation, neglect, and abuse.
The report analyses the cultural, religious, and socioeconomic factors that sustain the practice, including poverty, rural migration, the role of daaras, and the authority of marabouts. It highlights how many Talibé children are denied access to formal education, healthcare, safe living conditions, and protection from economic exploitation and violence.
The report further assesses Senegal’s obligations under international and regional child rights frameworks, including the CRC, ACRWC, and ILO conventions. It also examines the role of NGOs and civil society in supporting Talibé children, documenting abuses, and advocating for reform. The report concludes with recommendations for the Senegalese government, religious authorities, the international community, and civil society to strengthen regulation, accountability, child protection, and access to safe education.
The report analyses the cultural, religious, and socioeconomic factors that sustain the practice, including poverty, rural migration, the role of daaras, and the authority of marabouts. It highlights how many Talibé children are denied access to formal education, healthcare, safe living conditions, and protection from economic exploitation and violence.
The report further assesses Senegal’s obligations under international and regional child rights frameworks, including the CRC, ACRWC, and ILO conventions. It also examines the role of NGOs and civil society in supporting Talibé children, documenting abuses, and advocating for reform. The report concludes with recommendations for the Senegalese government, religious authorities, the international community, and civil society to strengthen regulation, accountability, child protection, and access to safe education.
✨ AI summary
This report examines the Talibé system in Senegal and the human rights violations faced by children living in traditional Quranic schools known as daaras. It explains how the system, originally rooted in Islamic education and moral discipline, has in many urban contexts become associated with forced begging, economic exploitation, physical abuse, poor sanitation, malnutrition, medical neglect, and lack of formal education. The report highlights how poverty, rural migration, weak regulation, religious authority, and limited access to education contribute to the persistence of the system. It also reviews Senegal’s legal obligations under the CRC, ACRWC, and ILO Convention No. 182, while identifying gaps in enforcement and child protection. Through its Senegal case study, the report discusses government reform attempts, implementation failures, and the role of NGOs such as UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, Maison de la Gare, PADEM, and local civil society actors. It recommends stronger enforcement against forced begging, registration and monitoring of daaras, cooperation with religious authorities, expanded child protection services, public awareness campaigns, and sustained civil society support.
Share this report
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
