Trafficking, child labour and sexual exploitation. Childhood in Senegal is often violated by these abuses, which Italy and UNICEF are fighting with a prevention, recovery and protection project.
February 2014 saw the end of stage 2 of the project: “Combating trafficking and the worst forms of child labour”. The initiative was funded by Italian Development Cooperation in Senegal, with the aim of coordinating all the actors involved at the national and local levels.
Priorities for action include abuse and sexual exploitation, girls being forced into domestic labour at too young an age and, especially in the case of the talibés, the children studying at the Koranic schools, forced begging.
Protection Committees and the power of the theatre
Departmental Child Protection Committees (Comité Départemental pour la Protection des Enfants – CDPE) have been set up under the project to provide a space for young people to talk about their problems, hopes and aspirations. The Committees also promote children’s rights and seek to ensure that they are recognised and respected in wider Senegalese society, through information campaigns.
One of the first initiatives to be staged was a theatre project – a simple but immediate vehicle for communication that conveys great emotional power.