UNICEF in a dispatch reaffirmed its unwavering resolve to upholding the rights of every child particularly the most marginalised and vulnerable.
The dispatch reads below:
UNICEF expresses deep concern over the recent scabies outbreak affecting children at Daara Madina Suwaneh and urges immediate, coordinated action to protect children throughout The Gambia.
As of 27 May, the Ministry of Health reported that at least 57 children had been diagnosed with scabies, highlighting serious health risks exacerbated by inadequate medical care and poor hygiene conditions. The outbreak is directly linked to the unhygienic and overcrowded living conditions in which the children were residing, where limited access to water, combined with malnutrition and promiscuity among other factors, contributed to the spread of the disease.
UNICEF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to upholding the rights of every child—particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable—guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), and The Gambia’s own child protection frameworks.
This latest incident, along with previous tragedies such as the 2021 Bilal boarding school fire, underscores the urgent need for stronger systemic oversight, regulation, and accountability. In line with the Concluding Observations on The Gambia issued by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in February 2025, and the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children (2009), UNICEF calls for urgent action across sectors and stakeholders, and urges the Government of The Gambia and partners to:
Conduct comprehensive, nationwide assessments and inspections of all child care institutions, including Qur’anic schools (Majalis);
enforce and monitor compliance with national minimum standards for care facilities and child safeguarding through regular and substantive inspections;
promote and invest in family-based and community-based alternatives to institutional care, preventing family separation and facilitating family reintegration. Ensure that children in institutional and alternative care settings have adequate and appropriate access to food, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), timely information, and a comprehensive range of essential services including health care, child protection, education, and skills development, while “facilitating the rehabilitation and social reintegration of the children residing within them to the greatest extent possible” as recommended by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its Concluding Observations for The Gambia (February 2025);
establish independent, confidential, and child-friendly complaint mechanisms for children in institutional and alternative care.
Addressing these issues requires strong multi-sectoral collaboration among all stakeholders from Social Welfare, Child Protection, Education, Health, Nutrition, WASH and Security, as well as the engagement of religious leaders, community members and families. UNICEF encourages and stands ready to support the establishment of a multisectoral coordination mechanism under the leadership of the Government to ensure coherent rights-based interventions on more suitable forms of alternative care in the country.
“Protecting children is not the responsibility of a single organization—it requires collective action. We must act now to ensure no child is left in unsafe or unregulated conditions. Children must grow up safe, healthy, and protected, in environments where their rights are fully respected and protected”, declares Nafisa Binte Shafique, UNICEF Representative in The Gambia.
