On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Senegal LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Senegal country of information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Senegal COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Senegal.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Senegal is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
At the international level, Senegal is a signatory to: the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol; the 1969 AU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa; the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Right of All Migrants Workers and Their Families; the 2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons; and the 2000 Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.
At the national level, Law No. 71-10 of January 25, 1971 sets the conditions of admission, residence, and establishment of foreigners in Senegal, while Law No. 2005-06 of May 10, 2005 sets out rules on combating trafficking in persons and related practices and protecting victims. The Senegalese government also has a policy in place that allows 15 members of parliament to be elected by the diaspora community overseas to represent their interests. Moreover, the government has a public and private fund that members of the diaspora can access in the form of loans for investment purposes.
At the regional level, Senegal is a party to the Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its protocols, as well as the Treaty of the West African Economic Monetary Unit (WAEMU). Both treaties establish the freedom of movement of persons, goods, services, and capital for citizens for Member States, as well as the right to residence and establishment.
Legal aid organisations
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Address: B.P. 15246, Dakar, Sénégal
Tel: +221 82 46 056 or +221 77 521 66 36
Fax: +221 82 46 052
Email: raddho@orange.sn or siegeraddho@gmail.com
RADDHO operates a counseling and legal services centre for refugees and IDPs. The centre provides orientation for asylum seekers upon their arrival to Senegal and provides legal guidance throughout the asylum seeking process.
RADDHO has also carried out investigative missions in refugee camps in Senegal, the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau to monitor camp conditions and the protection of refugees and human rights. In addition to producing reports on the conditions of refugees, RADDHO has been active in calling international attention to refugee issues in Africa and to advocating refugee rights such as freedom of expression, and freedom from forced repatriation. RADDHO has also become more extensively involved in protecting the economic, social and cultural rights of refugees and IDPs in Senegal through the provision of humanitarian assistance within a human rights framework.
Finally, RADDHO has agreed to host the WARIPNET Secretariat. The Secretariat has its own offices and is staffed by a coordinator and an assistant.
Address: Centre de Bopp, Av Cheikh Amadou Bamba, Dakar – Senegal BP 15246
Contact Person: Sadikh Niass
Tel: +221 338785450 or +221 776338713
Email: sniass@yahoo.fr
WARIPNET is a coalition of NGOs in West Africa who have come together to advocate for the rights of refugees in the region. The network’s membership is diverse, including direct service organisations, grassroots political activists, human rights organisations and lawyers. The Network aims to strengthen the impact of its members by facilitating the exchange of experiences between member organisations dealing with different issues relating to refugee protection, working to build and promote a shared platform of action and working to highlight issues of concern to West Africa on the international stage.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Website (page in French)
Facebook
Address: Km 2, Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop B.P. 5915 Dakar – Senegal
Tel.:+221 33 822 01 53
Fax: 33 822 61 87
Contact person: Aloise Sarr
Email: caritaspari@arc.sn
Point d’Accueil pour Réfugiés et Migrants is a branch of Caritas Senegal. They support refugees in Dakar who have fled the country and been forced to return. This support comes in the form of listening, orientation and basic elementary aid.
Address: IOM Regional Office for West and Central Africa
Zone 3, Route des Almadies, Dakar – Senegal BP 16 838
Tel: +221 33 869 62 00
Email: iomrodakarmedia@iom.int, rodakar@iom.int
Senegal has traditionally been an important country of destination in the West Africa region, and has now also become a country of emigration and transit migration. Since its establishment in 1998, the IOM office in Dakar, Senegal, has been working with the Government of Senegal and other stakeholders in the field of migration to address the challenges and opportunities presented by these dynamic migratory patterns and trends. IOM’s activities in Senegal have focused on building on the link between migration and development in Senegal, counter-trafficking activities, assisted voluntary return and reintegration support for migrants returning to Senegal, and strengthening Government capacity in labour migration management and in migration policy development.
Address: Villa No. 302 Hann Maristes II Dakar, Espace Residence, BP 1887, Dakar
Tel: +221 33 83 22 460
Mobile: +221 77 63 96 197
Email: info@ofadec.org
Over the past 12 years, OFADEC has worked with refugees the management of camps, health and education, micro-projects for women, agricultural projects and repatriation. It has fed and education thousands of Mauritanian refugees.
OFADEC has also worked with approximately 2,000 urban refugees in Senegal. OFADEC’s activities include assistance, education and training, health
In addition, OFADEC has worked with refugees from Guinea-Bissau in Dakar. It worked to allow several thousand refugees to repatriate by boat and road.
All of OFADEC’s refugee programs have been carried out in collaboration with UNHCR or UMCOR, which has supported OFADEC’s income generating projects for refugees in rural areas since 1990.
Website
Address: FAALO, route du King Fahd Palace (Ex Meridien), 3125 Dakar, Senegal
Tel: +221 33 859 7050
Email: senda@unhcr.org
For updates on UNHCR projects in Senegal, see here
Senegal LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Senegal.
Senegal COI
Find Senegal Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated May 2023