In Senegal, thousands of children are exploited by their teachers in the name of Koranic education. Called talibes, the Arabic word for students, some 50,000 boys are forced into child labor, according to Human Rights Watch. Photographer Sebastian Gil Miranda spent two months last year traveling around the country to document the conditions of these youths. “Families do not have money to pay for the religious education of their children,” Miranda said, “so for them it is logical that the child himself be the one to finance their own education.” Housed in deplorable conditions in daaras, or schools, teachers demand talibes deliver daily begging quotas or be beaten, starved, or left out in the street.
Schooled Into Slavery
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![]()
Read moreGirls sit at their desks in conventional Koranic school classroom in Saly, Senegal. Students, who often come from disadvantaged backgrounds, cover their education, room, and board by begging. #
-
-
![]()
Read moreChildren sing during a class in a Koranic school in Saly, Senegal. As of 2014, there were an estimated 50,000 talibes in Senegal. #
-
![]()
Read moreA boy poses for a portrait in his room on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal. If talibes do not earn enough money from begging, their instructors, or marabouts, have been known to deny them food or force them to sleep on the street. #
-
![]()
Read moreTalibes watch television in a daara on the outskirts of Dakar. These so-called educational centers accommodate from 30 to 100 boys. #
-
![]()
Read moreTalibes play with education materials in a daara in the periphery of Dakar. #
-
![]()
Read moreA boy stands in the rain in Cap Skirring, Senegal. #
-
-
![]()
Read moreTalibes beg for money in the center of Dakar with their trademark tomato soup cans. #
-
![]()
Read moreA talibe extends his hands to ask for money in a wealthier part of Dakar, Senegal. #
-
![]()
Read moreTwo talibes talk through the window of a daara in Dakar. #
-
![]()
Read moreGirls participate in a Koranic ceremony in Saly, Senegal. #
-
![]()
Read moreChildren sleep on the floor of a daara. 10 to 15 boys will often share a room. #
-
-
![]()
Read moreChildren eat lunch in a Koranic School in Saly, Senegal. #
-
![]()
Read moreWooden boards, used to teach the Koran, lean against a wall in a daara on the outskirts of Dakar. #
-
![]()
Read moreBoys participate in class at an NGO-supervised Daara in Dakar. Groups like Boolo En Faveur Des Enfants are working to change the conditions of the schools and the treatment of the children. #
-
![]()
Read moreA child washes clothes on the terrace of a daara on the outskirts of Dakar. #
-
![]()
Read moreA girl sits for a portrait in a daara in Dakar, Senegal. #
-
-
![]()
Read moreChildren line up at a traditional Koranic school in Dakar, Senegal. #
-
![]()
Read moreBoys study the Koran in a monitored daara in Dakar, Senegal. #
-
![]()
Read moreA talibe walks through traffic to beg for money in Dakar's city center. #
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.