Sudan shaken by reports of abuse in 23 different Khalwas

Fateh Al-Rahman Al-Hamdani is a Sudanese reporter who went undercover for two years secretly filming and documenting the abuse occurring in 23 Islamic educational institutions across Sudan.

  ‘I witnessed and filmed many children, some just five years old, being severely beaten, routinely shackled, and imprisoned without food and water by the sheiks, or religious men, in charge of the schools. Some of the children who did not appear in our documentary told me they had been raped or experienced other forms of sexual abuse’ Mr Al-Hamdani said. 

There are nearly 30,000 khalwas across the country, according to the Sudanese government. these institutions are religious schools which charge no fees and are an alternative to schools for many families, especially in rural areas.           

Mr. Al-Hamdani released his documentary which had a big impact in Sudan. After the documentary was aired, the Sudanese government said they would be prosecuting all the schools filmed. They also issued a law prohibiting the beating of children in educational institutions and stopped funding all khalwas while they are carrying out a review of the schools.

To know more about this story read the full article here

Watch the documentary here