Talibé Boys in Senegal: Forced Begging, Violence and Neglect

The Case in Brief

This case concerns a systemic, ongoing pattern of abuse against talibé children in Senegal — boys who are sent to Quranic schools called daaras and forced to beg on the streets by the marabouts and Quranic teachers who run them. This is not a story about a single perpetrator or a single victim. It is a widespread structural phenomenon that international human rights organisations have documented continuously from the early 2010s through to 2026.

Estimates of the number of children affected vary and are not precise counts. Human Rights Watch child abuse has reported the number of talibé boys in residential daaras who are forced to beg at a minimum of 50,000, and in more recent reporting at over 100,000. These figures reflect different reporting periods and should be understood as estimates that illustrate the scale of the problem rather than exact simultaneous tallies.

The Abuse

Talibé boys are typically between 4–5 and 15 years old when they are sent to the daaras — often by families from poor rural areas who believe their sons will receive a religious education and a path toward social mobility. Instead, reports document that marabouts send the boys out every day to beg for money, food, rice or sugar. The children are given daily quotas, and those who fail to meet them face physical punishment and violence.

Living conditions inside the daaras are described in the source material as inhumane: overcrowded premises, insufficient food and water, inadequate sanitation, and limited or no access to healthcare. Neglect thus constitutes a distinct and documented form of abuse alongside the physical violence and forced begging child exploitation.

In December 2022, Amnesty International human trafficking concluded directly that the forced begging constitutes a form of human trafficking. The organisation called on Senegalese authorities to move from declarations to concrete and forceful action to protect the children.

Investigation and Legal Context

The Senegalese state has repeatedly been criticised by international human rights organisations for failing to enforce existing legislation and for inadequately protecting talibé children. Despite documented abuse and the authorities' own stated commitments to change, the practical protection of children has, according to the sources, not matched the political promises.

An analysis published in the Harvard Human Rights Journal in 2021 examined the legal and structural context of the talibé children's situation. It highlighted the paradox that Senegal has formally ratified core international conventions on children's rights while enforcement at the national level remains markedly inadequate. The analysis pointed to deep structural barriers — including the religious and cultural authority that marabouts hold in Senegalese society — as a key factor explaining the authorities' reluctance to act.

No specific criminal cases, trials or convictions against marabouts in connection with these abuses have been identified in the available sources.

No Court Verdict

Because this is not a single, bounded criminal case, there is no individual trial, verdict or appeal to report. The systemic pattern has not been adjudicated by a court. Human Rights Watch's 2019 report, These Children Don't Belong on the Streets, contained a detailed roadmap of recommendations for Senegalese authorities, international donors and civil society organisations — but genuine legal accountability has yet to materialise.

The question of responsibility is also complex: marabouts operate within a cultural and religious institution deeply rooted in Senegalese society, and the boundary between traditional Islamic education and documented exploitation remains a politically and legally sensitive issue for the Senegalese authorities.

The Situation Today

As of 2026, the situation facing talibé children in Senegal remains an active and documented human rights crisis. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch continue to monitor developments and press for concrete state intervention. The estimated numbers of affected children — at least 50,000 and, according to more recent documentation, over 100,000 in residential daaras — reflect the continued scale of the problem.

This case illustrates the particular challenges that arise when the systematic exploitation of children is deeply embedded in cultural and religious structures, and when state enforcement consistently falls short of international obligations. For the boys living in daaras across Dakar and the rest of Senegal today, protection remains insufficient.