Child Begging in the Sahel Reflects Precarious Circumstances of Region Facing Multiple Crises

Poverty is compounded by security and climate challenges

In the image someone's hand is shown askinng for something

Often dressed in rags with a bowl in hand, these children are a sorry sight on the streets.Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

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Nov 04, 2025, 18:30

This story is written by Job Tiguem Poudiougo and Translated by Laura originally appeared on Global Voices on November 4, 2025.

In the major cities of Central Sahel countries, such as Niamey in Niger, Bamako in Mali, and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, an alarming phenomenon of child begging has become an everyday reality.

Often dressed in rags with a bowl in hand, these children are a sorry sight on the streets. They represent only the tip of the iceberg of a more profound social phenomenon that’s not only mismanaged or ignored by politicians but also normalized by the public.

This situation reflects the socio-political challenges of the Central Sahel countries, where poverty is high. According to the latest national figures, in 2021, around 43 percent of Burkina Faso’s population lived below the poverty line, 45.5 percent in Mali, and 47.4 percent in Niger in 2023. These figures highlight the region’s persistent poverty, which is compounded by worsening security and climate challenges.

The three Central Sahel countries have a combined population of approximately 77 million, with over 28 million in Niger, over 25 million in Mali, and over 24 million in Burkina Faso. According to the Malian Coalition for the Rights of Children (COMADE), more than 20,000 children in Mali are forced to beg on the streets, 43 percent of whom are girls. In Niger, an Anti Slavery (London-based NGO) investigation surveyed 86,824 students in 1,543 Quranic schools, 76,080 of whom are victims of forced begging. In Burkina Faso, although there are no official figures, organizations consider forced child begging a major problem.

Talibé children, teaching or exploitation?

In these three Sahel countries, Islam is the most widely practiced religion among their populations: with more than 60 percent in Burkina Faso, over 95 percent in Mali, and 99 percent in Niger.

A Talibé child is a child whose parents send them to Quranic teachers to receive an Islamic religious education. The state has no oversight over these Quranic schools.

In many cases, the children supposed to receive a Quranic education are exploited to become sources of income, often to the detriment of the original spiritual intention.

In 2017, a Human Rights Watch report found that over 50,000 Talibé children in Senegal are forced to beg daily, often under the threat of physical violence. These children are subject to multiple risks: violence, exploitation, abuse, and social marginalization.

This phenomenon reflects a flagrant violation of children’s rights, depriving them of their fundamental right to education, protection, and a fulfilling childhood. A Talibé child told Global Voices:

Every day, my teacher sends me to beg on the streets of San (a town in central Mali, 422 km from the capital, Bamako) and, if I don’t bring back the requested amount, I’m threatened or beaten. I walk a long way, often barefoot and without eating, in fear of coming back empty-handed. Although I dream of learning to read and write to become a civil servant, I don’t go to school. What makes me most sad is the hunger, violence, and disregard of passersby. However, sometimes a smile, a piece of bread, or some playtime brings me a little joy.

Vulnerability exacerbated by state inaction

For years, various factors have pushed Sahel families into extreme hardship. According to the UNICEF report, “Child alert: Extreme jeopardy in the Central Sahel (2023),” a combination of economic, social, and family factors makes this region a prime setting for child begging. The lack or loss of family support due to conflicts or forced displacement forces many children, left to their own devices, to earn a living for themselves.

As such, numerous citizen initiatives have now emerged to help these children. For example, in Burkina Faso, the Suudu Baaba association aims to improve children’s quality of life with sustainable community action. In Mali, the Samusocial association provides psychosocial and medical support. What’s more, awareness-raising and digital campaigns are also attempting to break the silence and attract the authorities’ attention.

In this region, government action on this matter remains grossly inadequate. For example, although the authorities in Niger have banned child begging in its capital, Niamey, this welcome measure is difficult to implement due to the magnitude of the phenomenon and the lack of alternative solutions for families and Quranic schools. As the matter is considered culturally sensitive and not a political priority, it often falls by the wayside. A Save the Children report confirmed that armed groups frequently recruit thousands of street children in these countries. The report states:

In these countries, where 60 percent to 90 percent of the population is Muslim, religious rhetoric is used as an effective means of rallying young people. This rhetoric idealizes the fighter’s role, promising happiness in this life and reward in the next.

Begging children face harsh living conditions, compromising their development. Malian building contractor, Gédéon Sangare, told Global Voices:

I pass dozens of children left to fend for themselves on the streets. They beg to survive, but behind this reality hides a silent violence. Many are exploited and beaten. What’s unacceptable is the authorities’ silence on this tragedy. Child begging is too often considered a cultural forgone conclusion, when it’s actually a social and security emergency. Some Talibés turned workers explain how they haven’t learned any trade that guarantees them a dignified future as adults.

An at-risk generation

The normalization of child begging is a ticking time bomb for the Sahel’s future. This generation, deprived of opportunities, risks resigning themselves to poverty and survival by begging. Not only does this threaten their personal development, but it also threatens the social and economic stability of the region as a whole. In Niger, the Nigerian Association for the Treatment of Delinquency and Crime Prevention’s (ANTD) March 2020 report outlined how the exploitation of Talibés extends beyond local boundaries and must, therefore, be considered a regional phenomenon. The report states:

The Talibé trafficking and exploitation patterns are part of the local and regional migration trends (neighboring countries, but also the wider Sahel basin and Central Africa). We must, therefore, analyze them in light of these connections.

Alassane Maiga, a Malian civil society member and specialist in protection, social cohesion, and community resilience, told Global Voices:

In the Sahel, child begging often involves religion, where the children (Talibés) who are sent to Quranic teachers beg under the pretext of building a spiritual resilience. However, beneath this guise lies the profound precariousness of families, whose poverty forces the children to beg to survive.

Considering the magnitude of the problem, governments must collaborate with civil society and international organizations to align their efforts. After all, the higher the number of children without access to vocational education, the greater the risk of turning to delinquency and non-state armed groups, threatening the Sahel’s stability. [VP]

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