Senegal, Africa

Senegal is a small country in western Africa. Here, child trafficking is found at situations based upon tradition and greed. The day nine-year old boy, Coli, planned to run away was the day he woke up curled up on a dirty mat in the cold. He was pressed between tens of other sleeping children just like him, all lying next to one another on a concrete floor. It was still dark out when he and the other boys, a group of seven to nine-year olds, were directed to beg for money in between stopped cars on a freeway. They were all given empty tomato paste cans as begging bowls. Like these group of young boys, another 1.2 million children are involved in human trafficking for the benefit of those who make $15 billion annually for such services [according to the International Labor Organization]. It’s a popular business in Senegal. In the capital of Dakar, about 7,600 child beggars are ordered to work on the streets [according to a study by the ILO, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Bank]. These children collect an average of only 72 cents a day, where their keepers take in $2 million a year.

Under the cover of Islam, ninety percent of these boys are brought to beg with reasons including tradition and greed. Coli’s cover to be taken and work in Dakar was his family’s blessing to learn the holy book of Islam. With this, Coli’s days were spent with two hours of the day memorizing Quran verses and over nine hours begging to earn money for the one he called his teacher. Quranic boarding schools were once praised for their education purposes but most are growing into a business of child trafficking. More and more Quranic teachers are taking in as many students as possible to increase their daily flow of money. An Islamic scholar of Columbia University concludes, “If you do the math, you'll find that these people are earning more than a government functionary. It's why the phenomenon is so hard to eradicate."

It’s necessary for designers to learn of such problems existing within the underground realms of countries. Situations grow deeper and deeper into the depths of dirt when nothing is done in attempts to stop any of it. Design may not solve the problem completely, but it’s important to think of ways that can certainly help.

Catherine