The documentary Petites Bonnes, Domestic Labor Exploitation of Girls in Mauritania, reflects the harsh conditions to which they are subjected Mauritanian girls between 5 and 13 years old, originating in very impoverished rural areas.
They come from families without resources and illiterate in which the father has an irregular trade and the mother has a mere reproductive role. Aware of their limitations but also ignoring what awaits them, the minors they are sent by their parents to a family's home in the city in search of a better education At the same time they serve as family economic support, with a salary that does not usually exceed € 20 per month.
In the video you will see below, many of the girls say they would like to study to make progress in their lives, and a better future.
And the Tierra de Hombres Foundation (in collaboration with other entities), works on the project 'Protection and Reintegration of Domestic Girls (Petites Bonnes) Victims of Violence and Abuse in Mauritania'. This is developed in nine communities of Nouakchott (the capital of the country).
Land of men takes care of identify exploited minors, welcome them, protect them, restore their basic rights such as education, through literacy or reinforcement classes; health; food or registration, since many of the small ones were not registered at birth, which makes it even more difficult for them to access minimum services.
Although the public authorities in Mauritania have taken important measures to eliminate child exploitation through optional protocols and laws such as the Labor Code, which sets the minimum age at 14, their impact has been rather limited, since despite the fact that many girl exploiters come to court, before being tried, they usually reach an agreement that pays a minimum penalty.
Many of these children do not have access to school, are mistreated, assaulted, and raped, even within their own family and collectively. They usually spend long periods of time away from their family, and they have no days off, and the abuses they are subjected to are silenced.
That's why the work of this organization is so important, from where it is also sought to sensitize families about children's rights and child labor exploitation, since many of them do not know what happens to girls once they are living with their employers.
