Hope for Victims of Child Trafficking

A visit from the Gambian ambassador

Maison de la Gare welcomed a total of 1878 begging talibé children living in Saint-Louis daaras during the first six months of 2024. Of these, approximately 225 were victims of trafficking from the neighboring country of Gambia. About 95 of these children were 10 years old or younger, 65 were between 11 and 14 years of age, and 60 were 15 or older. And 9 of the 76 children that our night rounds team rescued from the streets during these six months were also from Gambia.

This is in addition to about 400 of these children trafficked from Guinea-Bissau, and 100 from Guinea-Conakry, during the same period. The future is particularly challenging for begging talibés from outside Senegal, as their prospects when they eventually leave their daaras are very limited.

For the children from Gambia, there was a new ray of hope recently when Maison de la Gare had the privilege of welcoming His Excellency Hadrammeh Sidibeh, the Ambassador of Gambia to Senegal.

During his visit, the ambassador had a close-up look at our main activities and exchanged views with our staff. He also took the time to talk to the management team. During these exchanges, many specific questions were addressed relating to the situation of Gambian talibé children. This sincere and constructive exchange touched on a variety of subjects, highlighting the delicate situation of the Gambian children who benefit from Maison de la Gare's support. Among the challenges raised, the issue of obtaining a birth certificate was addressed, underlining the crucial importance of this document for their future.

The meeting with the Gambian talibés present at Maison de la Gare that day gave the ambassador a direct and concrete understanding of the realities they face. The exchanges with them were imbued with gravity, reflecting the collective responsibility towards these vulnerable young lives.

As a sign of solidarity and support, the ambassador handed over a substantial package of gifts to Maison de la Gare. This gesture testifies to Gambia's official recognition of our commitment to the protection and education of talibé children from their country.

We express our deep gratitude to His Excellency for his visit and his direct involvement in understanding the crucial challenges we face. This exchange reinforces our shared determination to find lasting solutions to improve the lives of these children, while underlining the importance of international partnerships in resolving complex social issues.
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Maison de la Gare has been welcoming trafficked children from neighboring countries for many years. Thanks to our programs, many of these have set themselves on the path to secure and productive futures. Our star “graduates” from the Gambia include Sulayman Bah, who returned to Gambia and, after several attempts, courageously completed his primary and secondary education there.

Also, Tijan Bah who returned to Gambia and, after completing his primary and secondary education, went on to graduate from Maharaja University in Baroda, India. Alagie Jallow, who arrived as a young talibé, gained confidence completing our sewing apprenticeship program. On his own initiative, he began regular rounds of Saint Louis daaras to give first aid care to talibé children there as a way of giving back. Alagie is now a valued member of our full-time staff.
 

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