The action followed a chance encounter between the Director General of Immigration and visibly ill minors on Brufut beach, triggering an urgent inspection of Daara Medina Suwaneh.
On Sunday, 25th May 2025, the Gambia Immigration Department (GID) conducted an emergency inspection of Daara Medina Suwaneh, a Quranic boarding school located at Brufut Heights. This operation was prompted by the disturbing sight of minors with visible skin infections, rashes, and wounds swimming at Brufut beach during a routine workout by the Director General of Immigration, Mr. Ebrima Mboob.
Alarmed by the children’s physical condition, the GID immediately mobilized a joint task force comprising its Child Welfare Unit, Intelligence Unit, and the Gambia Police Force’s Child Welfare Unit to assess the children’s living conditions and ensure their safety and well-being.
As a result, sixty-one (61) Talibeh children were initially transported to the Brusubi Police Station for processing, including interviews to determine their access to healthcare and basic needs. This step aimed to ensure that their rights to medical care, as outlined in national and international child protection frameworks, were being upheld.
On Monday, 26th May 2025, public health officers from Sukuta and Brufut Health Centers, led by the Regional Principal Public Health Officer (Western Region 1) and supported by the Epidemiology and Disease Control (EDC) Unit, conducted medical assessments at the school. Their findings were deeply concerning: out of 101 minors, 57 were diagnosed with scabies, a highly contagious skin condition spread through close contact. The affected children include 35 Gambians, 17 Senegalese, and 5 Bissau-Guineans, all living in severely overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.
The lack of adequate medical attention from the school’s guardians significantly worsened the children’s health, raising grave concerns about their safety, rights, and dignity. Immediate medical care and public health interventions are now being implemented by the relevant health authorities.
In response, Director General Mboob convened a high-level virtual briefing with key stakeholders, including the National Security Adviser, Director of Public Health, Minister of Presidential Affairs (Chief of Staff), and the Senegalese Defence Attaché. The meeting outlined actionable steps to ensure the protection and welfare of the affected children, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare.
The GID urges all parents and guardians to remain vigilant about the welfare of children, especially those enrolled in boarding institutions. It also calls on the Ministries of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs; Health; Basic and Secondary Education; and Gender, Children and Social Welfare to urgently develop regulatory frameworks and inspection mechanisms. These actions are vital to uphold the rights of children as enshrined in the Children’s Act 2005 and other applicable national and international legal instruments.
