Children's rights
"Ten Fundamental Rights of Children"
Outside of the Pouponnière, the building for very young child at Vivre Ensemble's orphanage, there is a sign outlining the "Ten Fundamental Rights of Children," as follows:
Vivre Ensemble is a French NGO, and the aforementioned rights resemble a Western attitude towards children's rights rather than a Senegalese attitude. Unfortunately. there is a disconnect between some of these rights and what actually occurs within the orphanage. For example, not all children within the orphanage receive an education, which is often due to problems with obtaining parental consent. It is unclear whether these children are truly protected from violence. Punishments within the orphanage range from gentle taps on the back to being hit or whipped with an electrical cord. It is difficult to decide when a punishment crosses the line from corrective to abusive.
Rights to Education
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Senegal is required to "ensure that children have access to a compulsory, holistic primary education that will equip them with the basic skills they need to participate fully and actively in society" (Human Rights Watch 14). Unfortunately, uniting theory and practice is not always so easy. Both among the talibés and the children in orphanages, not everyone is guaranteed a primary education. At Vivre Ensemble, not all children of school age go to school, for a multitude of reasons. Some of the children are too far behind, or the orphanage cannot send them to school due to issues of parental consent. Furthermore, most schools within Senegal are not free, meaning many families cannot afford to send their children to school. Talibés children are not granted access to this right unless there is enforced regulation of daaras by the Senegalese government. Some marabouts spend very little to no time on Quranic education, making secular education almost an impossibility without state intervention.
Rights to Food, Physical Development, and Health in Daaras
The conditions of many daaras and the treatment of talibés by marabouts lead to some human rights violations. The overcrowding in daaras leads to sanitation issues which in turn creates health problems. Often times, marabouts are unwilling to tend to children's medical needs. A child is expected to continue to beg to meet the daily quota, no matter how severe the illness. Furthermore, food collected from begging often is not put back into the daara, as many marabouts typically sell what is collected, which tends to worsen the physical health of the children. Lastly, begging in urban areas is often dangerous, and many children risk being killed or injured by cars.
- The right to be loved and respected
- The right to be fed
- The right to be cared for
- The right to have an identity
- The right to have an education
- The right to be protected from violence
- The right to equality, particularly between girls and boys
- The right to dream, to laugh, and to play
- The right to not be exploited
- The right to express oneself and to give one’s opinion
Vivre Ensemble is a French NGO, and the aforementioned rights resemble a Western attitude towards children's rights rather than a Senegalese attitude. Unfortunately. there is a disconnect between some of these rights and what actually occurs within the orphanage. For example, not all children within the orphanage receive an education, which is often due to problems with obtaining parental consent. It is unclear whether these children are truly protected from violence. Punishments within the orphanage range from gentle taps on the back to being hit or whipped with an electrical cord. It is difficult to decide when a punishment crosses the line from corrective to abusive.
Rights to Education
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Senegal is required to "ensure that children have access to a compulsory, holistic primary education that will equip them with the basic skills they need to participate fully and actively in society" (Human Rights Watch 14). Unfortunately, uniting theory and practice is not always so easy. Both among the talibés and the children in orphanages, not everyone is guaranteed a primary education. At Vivre Ensemble, not all children of school age go to school, for a multitude of reasons. Some of the children are too far behind, or the orphanage cannot send them to school due to issues of parental consent. Furthermore, most schools within Senegal are not free, meaning many families cannot afford to send their children to school. Talibés children are not granted access to this right unless there is enforced regulation of daaras by the Senegalese government. Some marabouts spend very little to no time on Quranic education, making secular education almost an impossibility without state intervention.
Rights to Food, Physical Development, and Health in Daaras
The conditions of many daaras and the treatment of talibés by marabouts lead to some human rights violations. The overcrowding in daaras leads to sanitation issues which in turn creates health problems. Often times, marabouts are unwilling to tend to children's medical needs. A child is expected to continue to beg to meet the daily quota, no matter how severe the illness. Furthermore, food collected from begging often is not put back into the daara, as many marabouts typically sell what is collected, which tends to worsen the physical health of the children. Lastly, begging in urban areas is often dangerous, and many children risk being killed or injured by cars.
Wells, Matthew. "Off the Backs of the Children": Forced Begging and Other Abuses against Talibés in Senegal. New York: Human Rights Watch, 2010. Print.