Africa report
Chad faced with the scourge of child beggars
Audio 02:23
General view of a street in Ndjamena, Chad, April 21, 2021. © AFP/Djimet Wiche
By: François Mazet Follow
3 mins
In Chad, they are called mahadjirines, the equivalent of West African talibés.
Sent to town by overwhelmed families from the provinces, they try to recover enough to subsist, sometimes under the authority of unscrupulous marabouts.
A phenomenon that is growing and against which the authorities and associations such as the Network of Associations for the Protection of Children in Chad (Reaspet) have few means to fight.
Advertising
From our special envoy to Ndjamena,
At each crossroads or busy areas of Ndjamena, clusters of children hold out their bowls, hoping to get a few tickets.
Near the small Ardep-Djoumbal market, along Goukouni Weddeye Avenue, in the heart of the city, a small group of five of them took a few minutes to see us at the invitation of the Network of Associations for protection of children in Chad.
Ousmane, Mahamat, Alam and their friends are between 8 and 12 years old, they come from the Dagana region, north of the capital.
Their voices are so thin they're drowned out by the noise of traffic, their shyness so sickly it's hard to get a few words out of them.
We do begging here, at the market, with our cups, we call passers-by for charity.
The objective is to bring back to the marabout of our center 250 francs per day.
But if we can't do it, we're not in trouble.
Me, I have been here in town for 1 year, I came from my village in Dagana, towards Massakori.
We were sent here to learn the Holy Koran, that's all we know, that's our goal, and we don't know how long we'll stay.
Children from all regions of Chad and neighboring countries
Their marabout is called Gouni Yaya.
He welcomes in his center between 200 and 300 young people from 8 to 30 years old, to whom he teaches the sacred text.
They come from all regions of the country, some have fled neighboring Nigeria.
“
I seek God's blessing in what I do
,” explains Gouni Yaya.
“
I earn my living at the dry cleaners, I get my income from that, and then the children have to try to bring back 250, 300 francs that they give me, and we try to feed ourselves with that
.
»
Then he continues: “
When young people are teenagers, some leave, find their families, others stay, they find work, do housework, participate, but often they prefer to stay with me and study the Koran.
In religion, bringing your child to a religious education is important, reading the Koran is important, it is the basis of education and culture.
»
Hold parents accountable, including in court
If there are no statistics on the number of children forced to beg in Chad, the increase in the country's population and the few resources available force the most precarious families to send their children to the city in centers of quran study.
For some, it looks like real exploitation accompanied by physical violence.
In particular, the country lacks families and reception and reintegration centres.
The police do not fight against begging, which has been banned since the 1960s in the penal code.
Ahmat Mahamat Hissène, former Minister of Justice, knows the subject well since he was himself a mahadjirine.
He insists on the need to hold parents accountable, including before the courts.
“
It is the expression of misery, poverty and deprivation.
If the parents are sanctioned by not taking into account the responsibility of their offspring, if there are cases like this, brought before the courts, I believe that this could be a good sign to raise awareness among the parents
, "insists the former minister.
Make parents aware, but beware, the phenomenon is above all the result of a concentrate of poverty, warns the former minister.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_EN
Chad
Children's rights