29 October 2008
interview
Brazzaville — Congolese authorities may have good reason to keep a wary eye on events in Niger, where an international court this week found the government guilty of failing to protect its citizens from slavery.
Fifteen-year-old Bibouti, from the Pool region, is among countless children trafficked domestically and living in servitude. For the past two years she has worked for a family in the capital, Brazzaville, earning a notional monthly salary of 10,000 CFA francs, about US$20, which is not even given to her directly.
"I work non-stop even when I am not feeling well. Every day I wash the clothes and the dishes. I clean the children. I take care of Grandma and I work in the small garden.
"Every evening, I am very tired, it is very difficult, but I have to live.
"Recently my parents came to visit me and so I had to find some small gifts and a little money - some clothes for Mum and my aunt, Fr5,000 [$10] for Dad.
"I don't even see my money and I don't know whether I'm paid regularly. When I need something, they give me some money.
"When I say I am ill, they don't believe me because I have to keep working without slacking.
"Sometimes they buy me pills to make me better. If one day I am too sick to get up and work perhaps they'll beat me to force me to get up and do the housework. For now they just insult me sometimes.
"One day, one of my aunts heard that I was being treated like a slave and came to have it out with Grandma and people in the neighbourhood noticed. Since then, many people around here have understood that I am not Grandma's grand-daughter but the family maid. So now I am not meant to talk to the neighbours so that I am not seen to complain about my situation.
"As soon as I get some money together, I'll leave here and do some business. Even in the village, I had a little field with my sister."
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]
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