Keana, founder of NGO on Almajiri, announced as Obama Foundation Scholar dailytrust.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailytrust.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
4 Min Read
(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Efforts to stop abuse and forced begging of pupils at Islamic schools in northern Nigeria are at risk as the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could push more struggling families to enrol their children, according to campaigners.
The Islamic schools, known locally as almajiri schools, are estimated to host about 10 million children - mainly boys - and hit headlines in 2019 when a series of police raids on the institutions uncovered widespread physical and sexual abuse.
Nigeria’s northern governors agreed last April to close the schools and send pupils back home due to concerns over COVID-19, which child rights’ activists saw as a chance to challenge the practice and push for better local education and social welfare.