Page:Senegal 2020 International Religious Freedom Report.pdf/5

Rh association submitted an annual report, including a financial report, which the ministries used to track potential threats against national security.

'''Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom'''

In September, a group of Christians led by Ephrem Manga lodged a complaint in court against Imam Galadio Ka for defamatory and offensive rhetoric in a speech at a public religious conference in 2018. In his remarks, which circulated widely by video, Ka said, “The Christian minority in the country was responsible for legalizing alcohol, adultery, homosexuality, and usury.” In explaining his decision to seek justice in court, Manga said “…Galadio Ka’s words, beyond insulting our faith, [are seen] as an unbearable attack on the society of tolerance and cordial coexistence for which our country is famous.” The trial was set for late November.

Local and international NGOs continued to highlight abuses of students at some daaras, where young children sometimes resided to learn Quranic teachings. The government allocated 250 million CFA francs ($470,000) to a “Zero Children in the Street” project to raise awareness of and provide services to street children/forced child beggars with additional funding provided by others. As of year’s end, the program had sheltered more than 5,000 street children ages four to 17 throughout the country. The problem of forced begging remained widespread, according to several NGOs.

Local media and NGOs continued to report cases of physical and sexual abuse of daara students by some marabouts, or Quranic schoolteachers. For example, a 2019 Human Rights Watch report cited 16 deaths due to abuse or neglect, as well as dozens of cases of beatings, sexual abuse, and children chained or imprisoned in religious schools. In some communities, religious, NGO, and local government leaders sought to combat the problem. Local women’s groups also assisted in the care of children within daaras to prevent child begging.

'''Section IV. U.S. Government Policy and Engagement'''

The Ambassador and other embassy officers met with federal and local government officials to discuss conditions daara students faced, as well as the government’s efforts to combat forced child begging. Discussions also included the resilience of religious communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.