Human Trafficking in [Gambia] [other countries]Street Children in [Gambia Child Prostitution in [Gambia] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the first ten years of the 21st
Century - 2000 to 2009
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CAUTION: The following links and accompanying text have been culled
from the web to illuminate the situation in The Gambia. Some of these links may lead to websites
that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false. No
attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content. ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** Gambia deports 64 street children to Senegal The Gambian Immigration Department has deported 64 street children, locally known as "almudus", who were rounded up in Banjul and Serrekunda and identified as Senegalese citizens. According to Superintendent Olimatou Jammen-Sonko, spokesperson of the Gambian Immigration, the children, who are all boys, aged between 10 and 17, were like vagabonds, noting that they were living by themselves, as most of them slept in the mosques and under verandas. Jammen-Sonko pointed out that some of them were being used as child labourers at the beach-side, paid low wages while most of them were not physically healthy and were causing nuisance within the communities. "From now on, teenagers travelling to Gambia without parents will not be allowed in and the department will put up all measures to stop the influx of children into the Gambia," the spokesperson said. Poverty Drives Children To The Streets There was a phenomenon of dumping children in the Gambia from neighboring countries. Gambian law stipulates that children under 7 years of age found abandoned were to be considered Gambians. ***
ARCHIVES *** UNICEF - The Big Picture U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - In urban areas, children are commonly found working as street
vendors or taxi and bus assistants. The number of street children is
growing and has led to increased instances of children begging. Consequently, their vulnerability to
exploitation has been exacerbated. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices - 2005 SECTION 6
WORKER RIGHTS – [d]
The statutory minimum age for employment is 14 years; however, child labor
was a problem. There was no effective compulsory education, and because of
limited secondary school openings, most children completed formal education
by the age of 14 and then began work. Child labor protection does not extend
to youth performing customary chores on family farms or engaged in petty
trading. In rural areas most children assisted their families in farming and
housework. In urban areas many children worked as street vendors or taxi and
bus assistants. There were a few instances of children begging on the street. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001 [54]. The Committee notes the
efforts of the State party to improve the situation of education in the
country, including the recent launching of the Third Education Sector Programme. Nevertheless, the Committee expresses concern
that primary education is not free in practice, which further limits access
to education, especially for girls, children from economically disadvantaged
families and those living in remote rural communities. Concern is also
expressed regarding low enrolment and high drop-out and repetition rates,
insufficient numbers of trained teachers, an insufficient number of schools
and classrooms, lack of relevant learning material, and geographical
disparity in enrolment rates and access to education [58]. The Committee expresses
grave concern at the high and increasing number of street children. In
particular, the Committee notes their limited access to health, education and
other social services as well as their vulnerability to police brutality,
sexual abuse and exploitation and economic exploitation. www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84713 In He said: “For two days she gave me
food. I slept under her stall for a week without her knowing." Mutarr still carries a can to collect alms to support himself. He has not seen his parents for three years. Gambia
deports 64 street children to Senegal The Gambian Immigration Department
has deported 64 street children, locally known as "almudus",
who were rounded up in Banjul and Serrekunda and
identified as Senegalese citizens. According to Superintendent Olimatou Jammen-Sonko,
spokesperson of the Gambian Immigration, the children, who are all boys, aged
between 10 and 17, were like vagabonds, noting that they were living by
themselves, as most of them slept in the mosques and under verandas. Jammen-Sonko pointed out that some of them were being
used as child labourers at the beach-side, paid low
wages while most of them were not physically healthy and were causing
nuisance within the communities. "From now on, teenagers travelling to Gambia without parents will not be allowed
in and the department will put up all measures to stop the influx of children
into the Gambia," the spokesperson said. Reports to Treaty Bodies - Committee on the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination www.hri.ca/fortherecord2001/vol2/gambiatb.htm At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] Concern was expressed about: the
fact that primary education is not free in practice; low enrolment and high
drop-out and repetition rates, insufficient numbers of trained teachers, an
insufficient number of schools and classrooms, the lack of relevant learning
material, and the geographical disparity in enrolment rates and access to
education; the high rate of illiteracy, especially among girls; the quality
of education; the inadequate standards, procedures and policies to guarantee
and protect the rights of refugee, asylum-seeking and unaccompanied children;
the high and increasing number of street children and child beggars, their
limited access to health, education and other social services as well as
their vulnerability to police brutality, sexual abuse and exploitation and
economic exploitation; the large number of children engaged in labor and the lack
of information and adequate data on the situation of child labor and economic
exploitation; the absence of a legal minimum age for employment; the large
and increasing number of child victims of commercial sexual exploitation,
including for prostitution and pornography, especially among child laborers
and street children; the insufficient programs for the physical and
psychological recovery and social reintegration of child victims of such
abuse and exploitation. Information about Street Children [DOC] www.streetchildren.org.uk/reports/The%20Gambia%20Child.doc At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
The common factor among street
children in the Committee On Rights Of Child Concludes Review Of Gambia's Report On Implementation Of The Convention RESPONSE OF GAMBIA - Many street children were boys from neighboring countries like Senegal, Guinea and Mali who come to the country under the guise of studying under Islamic tutors -- the marabouts. The majority of such children were Gambians. These street children were usually between the ages of 6 and 15 years. Due to pressure from their masters, some of them engaged in begging and stealing. The Government has found that mobile schools were effective with street children, particularly those who had dropped out of regular schools. Poverty Drives Children To
The Streets There was a phenomenon of dumping
children in the All material used herein
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Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin,
"Street Children – The Gambia", http://gvnet.com/streetchildren/Gambia.htm,
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Human Trafficking in [Gambia] [other countries]Street Children in [Gambia Child Prostitution in [Gambia] [other countries]