Senegal « World Without Genocide - Making It Our Legacy

Senegal

Senegal

Vulnerable women, children, and members of LGBTQ communities in the West African country of Senegal face significant human rights challenges. These issues of trafficking, homophobia, and misogyny are problems everywhere in our world, not only in Senegal.

By Anna Diagne Sène

Talibés-Child beggars

The sight of young boys barefooted, in ragged clothes, begging for money, food, or sugar is familiar in the Senegalese streets. These children, referred to as Talibés, usually between ages 5 and 15, live in Qur’anic religious schools called daaras under the supervision of a teacher referred to as a marabout. Talibés come from all around the country and from neighboring states such as the Gambia, Guinea, or Mauritania. Although they are sent by their families to learn Islamic values and master the Qur’an, many Talibés instead become a preyed-upon source of income for their Qur’anic teachers.

In 2019, Human Rights Watch estimated that 100,000 children lived in daaras across Senegal with their marabouts. The poor and decrepit housing conditions expose the children to diseases rarely treated due to the children’s lack of access to medical care.

Talibés face an even harsher battle in the streets, where they are forced to beg for daily quotas of money or food. Those who don’t meet the quotas are often severely beaten. To avoid the beating, some spend the night in the streets, where they are vulnerable to theft and sexual assaults.

A 2005 Senegalese anti-trafficking law criminalizes forced begging, but enforcement remains weak due to pressure from religious leaders and families, who see this as a tradition or as a small step to escape the burden of feeding one more child. A few local officials have banned child begging and shut down the daaras that did not respect the rules, and some activists run shelters to protect runaway Talibés. However, that’s not enough.

Forced begging is the most common form of human trafficking in Senegal, and like human trafficking everywhere, the pandemic has created a crisis situation for the Talibés.

Two Talibés in Vélingara, Senegal. Link Image by Barry Pousman| licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0| License

LGBTQ Persecutions

Senegal, a 95% Muslim country, penalizes homosexuality on religious grounds as “indecent or unnatural acts between individuals of the same sex.” People convicted under this code can be “punished with up to five years in prison and a fine of between 100,000 to 1,500,000 CFA – about $2,500,” according to a VOA article.

In January 2022, Senegal’s legislature rejected a bill that would increase jail time for homosexual acts from 5 to 10 years, arguing that it was unnecessary to make the sentencing longer.

Talks about this bill sparked intense protests from “And samm Jikko yi” collective (“Together, let’s protect the mores”), which attracted thousands of Senegalese to the capital city to support the bill’s passage. To them, homosexuality is a Western practice that should not be imported to Senegal.

Although individuals can be convicted for engaging in “acts against nature” and not for simply stating their sexual orientation, those who identify with the LGBTQ community live in fear of getting assaulted- sometimes beaten to death- when their identity comes to light.

To avoid being discriminated against or killed and not even having a proper burial, or even being illegally exhumed after burial, many gay men marry women and have children while living a second, and secret, life. On several occasions, foreign officials, including former President Barak Obama, have advocated for the well-being of the LGBTQ community in Senegal and for legalizing homosexuality, with no success. However, most recently, more Senegalese support the end of persecutions targeting the LGBTQ community.

Gender-Based Violence

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Senegal affects both men and women. However, women experience all forms of violence (sexual, physical, emotional) at a higher rate. In most cases, regardless of the victim’s gender, men are reported to be the primary perpetrators. GBV cases are most prevalent in the household.

Gender-Based Violence against women takes many forms. Women and girls are victims of rape from men of all ages and social statuses. Most rape cases are dismissed within the household, and rape apology (defending or explaining acts of rape) is prevalent in the media. Confirmed rapists usually have impunity from legal punishment.

Female Genital Mutilations (FGM), despite being criminalized, persists in many regions. According to a 2017 Demographic and Health Survey (EDS), 24% of women aged 15-49 reported having been subjected to FGM. Perpetrators believe that FGM will ‘preserve women’s chastity’ or ‘discourage them from having sex before getting married.’

Physical violence is pervasive. Parents beat young girls into submission if they protest a forced marriage, and husbands hit their wives for refusing to have sexual intercourse with them, going out without permission, serving meals late, etc. Fully 24% of men and 60% of women agree that it is acceptable for a man to beat his wife, according to the most recent Demographic and Health survey report. Research shows that restricted autonomy of women “is associated with an increased likelihood” to tolerate GBV. Traditional values such as the submission of a wife to the authority of her husband also make many women accept to be ‘disciplined’ by their spouse.

Women also experience emotional violence due to financial dependency, especially in polygamous marriages, which are about 47% of Senegalese marriages. Research on GBV in Senegal reported that “Women experience bullying and sometimes threats when they want to work and have income. A woman who doesn’t work can’t even buy her own toiletries. She waits for everything from her husband.”

Despite being the primary victims of GBV, most women remain silent about their experiences. They endure violence for ‘the sake of the children,’ or for ‘their children’s lives to be blessed.’ Many of them also believe that ‘the father of your children should never be reported to the police.’

Professional counseling is inaccessible to many people.

Neighborhood poverty, compounded by the pandemic; the food, fuel, and energy crisis linked to the war in Ukraine; and gender norms are likely to intensify GBV. However, both the government and civil society are promoting education, advocacy, and support for women.

Bibliography: Talibes

Bibliography: LGBTQ Persecutions

Bibliography: Gender-Based Violence

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