Gambiaj.com – (Brufut, The Gambia) – Dozens of boys enrolled at Daara Medina Suwaneh, a Quranic boarding school in Brufut Heights, have been found living in overcrowded, unhygienic conditions and suffering from untreated skin infections, sparking outrage and renewed calls for child protection reforms in The Gambia.
The discovery was made on Sunday, 25 May, after the Director General of the Gambia Immigration Department (GID), Ebrima Mboob, encountered several young boys at Brufut beach during a routine workout. The children, commonly known as Talibehs, were observed swimming with visible skin rashes, wounds, and signs of serious infections.
This chance encounter prompted a swift joint operation by the GID’s Child Welfare and Intelligence Units, in collaboration with the Gambia Police Force Child Welfare Unit.
The inspection led to the immediate transfer of 61 children to the Brusubi Police Station for interviews and welfare assessments.
According to a follow-up medical inspection conducted by public health officers on 26 May, at least 57 of the 101 minors living at the school are infected with scabies—a contagious skin condition caused by mites, spread through prolonged skin contact in unhygienic environments. The affected children include 35 Gambians, 17 Senegalese, and 5 Bissau-Guineans.
Authorities say the boys were living in extremely cramped quarters under unsanitary conditions, with no evidence of medical treatment provided by their guardians.
Public health officials have since taken charge of the case, initiating urgent medical interventions and disease control measures.
“Their health and dignity have been seriously compromised,” said a senior health officer involved in the assessment, calling the situation “deeply distressing.”
The GID said the case underscores a systemic failure to ensure the basic rights of children in some religious boarding schools and called for stronger regulation and monitoring.
Director General Mboob has held a teleconference with national and international stakeholders, including the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, and the Senegalese Defence Attaché, to coordinate a broader response.
The Department is urging parents and guardians to critically assess the living environments of children sent to boarding institutions and has called on the Ministries of Lands, Health, Education, and Social Welfare to implement regulatory safeguards.
This incident reignites concerns over the welfare of Talibeh children—some of whom are trafficked across borders for religious education, only to face exploitation and neglect. The GID emphasized the need for all actors to uphold the protections guaranteed under The Gambia’s Children’s Act 2005.
The fate of the children at Daara Medina Suwaneh is now in the hands of public health and child protection authorities, who have pledged swift medical and social interventions.
The GID has not specifically explained if any legal action will be taken to either shut down the Daara or bring its keepers to court for what is clearly a case of child maltreatment.
