SUDANESE ALLIANCE FOR RIGHTS (SAR) RAISES ALARM OVER THE GROWING EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE OF SUDANESE REFUGEE CHILDREN IN EGYPT.

The Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR) raises alarm over the growing risks facing Sudanese refugee children in Egypt, particularly in Cairo, where reports of exploitation, violence, arbitrary arrests and deportations raise serious questions about the protection afforded to people who have already fled the horrors of war.

For millions of Sudanese who have been forced to flee the conflict, crossing the border was an act of survival and an attempt to find safety, protection and an opportunity to rebuild their lives. Yet, for many, the suffering has not ended at the border. Instead, displacement has exposed them to new forms of insecurity, discrimination, exploitation and abuse. As the humanitarian crisis continues to force Sudanese people to seek refuge across the region, including in Egypt, the experiences of those fleeing the conflict raise an urgent question: what happens when the places where people seek safety become places where their rights and dignity are further threatened?

Egypt hosts a significant population of Sudanese refugees, including women and children who have fled the conflict since April 2023. The scale of displacement places considerable demands on host communities and humanitarian services. However, the responsibility to protect those fleeing war, particularly children, must remain central to the response.

A Guardian investigation published on 9 November 2026 estimates that approximately 400,000 Sudanese refugee children are living in Egypt. Many remain traumatised by the war and face poverty, unsafe living conditions and limited access to education and mental health support. According to the investigation, between 50 and 70 per cent of these children are out of school, leaving many increasingly vulnerable to exploitation, violence and abuse.

The investigation also reports that Egyptian police have been conducting arrest and deportation campaigns affecting Sudanese refugees, including children. One case involved a 14-year-old Sudanese boy who was detained for more than two months before being deported to Sudan without his family. Returning a child to a country still experiencing armed conflict, without adequate consideration of the risks they may face and the necessary protection safeguards, raises serious concerns about the treatment of unaccompanied and separated children.

The investigation further documents cases of children as young as 11 working on farms and in factories where they reportedly face physical and sexual abuse. Aid workers also describe attempts by exploitation networks to groom children for sexual exploitation, including through offers of money and mobile phones. In neighbourhoods where many refugees live, children have reportedly faced threats and attacks by gangs and individuals. One reported case involved a 14-year-old Sudanese girl who was repeatedly threatened by a gang member before being stabbed after refusing his demands.

The investigation also brings into focus the difficult circumstances facing Sudanese mothers and female caregivers, many of whom are struggling to protect their children while trying to provide for their families. Mothers interviewed by The Guardian described their fears about leaving children unattended while they work long hours, the dangers children face in their neighbourhoods and their inability to afford safer accommodation. One grandmother, who fled to Egypt with her granddaughter after the child's parents were killed in Sudan, described the lasting psychological impact of the conflict on the young girl. These accounts illustrate how displacement and inadequate protection affect not only children but also the women carrying much of the responsibility for their care and survival.

These experiences expose the continuing vulnerability of Sudanese people seeking refuge beyond their country's borders. Children who have survived the trauma of war should not have to contend with exploitation, violence, discrimination or the constant fear of deportation in the countries where they seek protection. Mothers and caregivers should not be forced to choose between earning a living and ensuring their children's safety. While host countries face considerable humanitarian and economic pressures, these challenges must not become a justification for denying refugees their rights or failing to protect those most at risk.

When people flee their homes to escape violence, only to encounter insecurity, hostility and abuse in the places where they seek refuge, we must pause and ask: whatever happened to our shared sense of humanity?

SAR recalls that states have obligations under international refugee and human rights law to protect people fleeing persecution and serious harm. The principle of non-refoulement prohibits returning refugees to territories where they face threats to their life or freedom on grounds covered by the 1951 Refugee Convention. Any deportation decision must be subject to an individual assessment of protection risks and appropriate legal safeguards. Where children are concerned, the Convention on the Rights of the Child requires that their best interests be treated as a primary consideration in all decisions affecting them. States must also protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse, safeguard family unity and ensure access to education and essential services.

SAR calls on the Egyptian authorities to immediately halt arbitrary arrests, detention and deportations of Sudanese refugees, particularly children, and ensure that all immigration procedures comply with international refugee and human rights obligations. No child should be returned to Sudan without an individual assessment of the risks they face, appropriate legal safeguards and consideration of their best interests, including the need to prevent family separation.

SAR further urges the Egyptian authorities to investigate reports of child labour, sexual exploitation, trafficking, gang violence and other abuses against Sudanese refugee children, and to hold those responsible accountable. Refugee children must have access to safe accommodation, education, healthcare, psychosocial support and effective child protection and referral services, regardless of their immigration status. Particular attention must be given to unaccompanied and separated children, girls exposed to sexual violence and exploitation, and children experiencing trauma and psychological distress.

SAR calls on UNICEF, UNHCR and other humanitarian and protection actors to strengthen their response to the needs of Sudanese refugee children and their families in Egypt. This should include sustained support for education, safe learning environments, child protection programmes, specialised psychosocial care and assistance to women and families facing extreme economic hardship. Greater attention must also be given to the protection needs of mothers and female caregivers, including access to safe accommodation, livelihood support and services that enable them to care for their children in safety and dignity.

SAR also calls on the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child to give particular attention to the reported violations affecting Sudanese refugee children in Egypt, and to engage with the Egyptian authorities within its mandate to promote and monitor the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The protection of refugee children must be recognised as an essential part of the continent's broader commitment to safeguarding the rights and welfare of every child.

The responsibility to protect people fleeing conflict cannot rest on host countries alone. It requires sustained regional solidarity, international support and a commitment to uphold the dignity and rights of every person, regardless of their origin or identity.

Protecting refugees, especially children, is not an act of charity. It is a legal and humanitarian obligation. Children who escaped one war should not be left to face another cycle of violence, exploitation and neglect simply because they crossed a border.

Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR), 

10 November 2026