Who are the talibés? Why do they beg?

In the streets of Senegalese cities, the begging of the talibés reveals a distorted Koranic system where children are forced to beg every day.

Throughout the world and throughout history, certain vulnerable groups have been unjustly exploited. Their exploiters, who hold positions of power, have profited from this, while the law has turned a blind eye.

The talibé system in Senegal has evolved considerably since the 1960s, shifting from a respected system of religious education and character building to one of heavy exploitation. Today, predominantly rural families entrust their sons to urban-based Islamic teachers called marabouts. However, instead of receiving the expected Islamic education, tens of thousands of these “talibé” children typically endure deprived conditions, extreme corporal punishment, and are forced to beg for daily quotas of money and their own food for 6 to 10 hours a day. The United Nations now considers the talibé system a form of modern-day slavery.

Marabouts

Marabouts are the main perpetrators of talibé abuse. Some of them have recruitment systems that extend to villages in neighboring countries, escalating the talibé system to international child trafficking. Many marabouts force their talibés to beg for their own personal gain, but this has not always been the case.

The talibé system emerged as one of the first formal education systems in West Africa, based on a relationship of trust in which marabouts were responsible to and supported by the local population. All talibés, regardless of their origin or family wealth, engaged in some form of begging, not to enrich the marabout, but rather to teach them humility. Daaras were located in the community or in a neighboring village, where proximity to their homes allowed the talibés and their families to maintain close contact. Families made small financial contributions to the daara, and children could return home regularly to eat, bathe, clean their clothes, and spend time with their families.

A little over half a century ago, when drought worsened in Senegal, severe impoverishment resulted in rural villages. This prompted many marabouts to relocate their daaras to relatively more prosperous cities. Growing poverty in the villages made it difficult for families to continue financially supporting the marabouts and, after the transition to cities, parents ceased to play an active role in supporting their sons. This phenomenon of daara migration from rural villages has escalated to the point that today, there are thousands of daaras in Senegal's cities where marabouts rely on forced begging by children as their primary means of financial support.

Civil society

The role of civil society is essential in understanding why forced begging persists. Senegalese citizens contribute to reinforcing the talibé system in its role as a classic poverty trap. They live side by side with the talibés on a daily basis and are often indifferent to their plight. Worse still, most citizens give generously to the talibés' begging bowls but, unfortunately for the talibés, this generosity only fuels the system that exploits them.

Senegalese support for the talibé system is deeply rooted in the country's religious and cultural history. Quranic schools have been a key symbol of Muslim identity in West Africa since the 14th century^e and the marabouts, as leaders of these schools, have an exceptionally strong influence. An emphasis on rote learning and Muslim duty reinforces individuals giving to the talibés less out of compassion than from societal expectations, without examining too closely who or what they are really giving to. Some of the abuses experienced by talibés in daaras are not considered as offensive to Senegalese society as they may be to international organizations that advocate for children’s rights. Further, some of the most serious abuses happen out of the public eye and are thus easy to overlook.

Civil society is a key lever for potential change; if individuals stopped donating to the talibés, the system would quickly end.

Other actors

The state has had a dual role in perpetuating the talibé system: not enforcing forced-begging laws, and indirectly legitimizing the begging daara system as an educational system. Senegal’s penal code long ago criminalized forced child begging. However, only a handful of cases have been prosecuted in a landscape of thousands of daaras where children are forced to beg. This governmental laxity reflects the political influence of the marabouts, the overwhelming scope of the problem, and scarce resources. Despite political rhetoric, enforcement of forced begging laws remains elusive.

There are many in Senegalese society who call for change. Some civil society organizations, Maison de la Gare being a leader among them, work to educate people about the severity of the conditions faced by talibés. These organizations have had an important impact in improving the children’s living conditions and prospects for the future, and they advocate tirelessly for an end to the talibé begging system.

The international community is another actor that could play a stronger role in encouraging the state to change its behavior with respect to the talibé system. For example, by pressuring government leaders with respect to human rights for children and supporting the civil society organizations that work to end forced begging, such as Maison de la Gare.

Families of talibé children are important actors as well. If parents stopped sending their children to be talibés, the system would fall apart. However, the importance of Islamic education and the influence of marabouts are particularly powerful with rural and often uneducated parents. Furthermore, when there are no local schools, families have very few options if they want their children to receive an education, and the promise of an Islamic education in an urban daara is often the only option available. Finally, some parents are simply unaware of the severity of the conditions of deprivation, forced begging and abuse experienced by their children.

The unintended consequences of parents sending their boys from rural villages to the cities are far reaching and severe for society, not just for the talibés. A visitor to many rural villages in Senegal that have sent boys to be talibés in the cities will observe a dramatically disproportionate number of girls. It is common in these villages for girls to marry as young as 13 or 14 to older men who already have other wives. The lack of schools in rural villages not only encourages the talibé system but promotes polygamy, child marriage and female illiteracy.

Another distressing unintended consequence is the inability of talibés to become productive members of Senegalese society. Issa Kouyaté, Maison de la Gare’s founder and president, has long understood this. His primary objective for Maison de la Gare, apart from ultimately ending forced begging in Senegal, is to provide means for talibé youth to learn to become successful and productive members of society.

What can we do?

The trap that talibé children experience is a result of many complex factors. Marabouts, civil society, the talibés’ families, government, and the international community all are actors who play a role, either through action, or through lack of action that perpetuates the horrors of the talibé system. Influencing parents to keep their children at home by building schools in rural areas and encouraging daaras to return to their rural roots have significant potential, as does pressure and targeted aid from the international community.

We can also work to establish an effect collaboration between parents, marabouts, talibé children, civil society, and organizations like Maison de la Gare. Direct communication between all these stakeholders is essential if we are to achieve true protection for the children. Together, we can dismantle the illegal practices of the exploiters. Only such a collaboration can bring about real change for these thousands of abused children.

donations made through local organizations such as Maison de la Gare offer more than just hope; they offer the possibility of real change.