Female workers 'abused and raped'

Mauritanian and international rights organisations stated that this year has seen a notable increase of violence against minor girls in Mauritania. Up to June 2013, more than 2,500 girls under 14 years of age were assisted by the Foundation Terres des Hommes, one of the largest movements in the world for the defence of children's rights. A video documentary by Petites Bonnes, Domestic Labour Exploitation of Girls in Mauritania, showed harsh conditions of children between the ages of five and 13 from the poorest rural areas. The young girls belong to families who are illiterate, very poor and without any source of income, they bear intolerable schedules and working conditions in order to economically help their families. According to a spokesperson of the NGO in Mauritania, many of these young victims, who spend long periods away from their families of origin without the possibility of playing or resting, do not go to school, are abused, assaulted and raped, even by "employers" . Mauritania's Social Affairs Ministry stressed that it would take punitive actions against those involved in exercising violence against Mauritanian girls. Meanwhile, the NGO Terres des Hommes, together with the Asociación de Mujeres de Cabeza de Familia (ACFC) and UNICEF, have been engaged in a programme  since 2011 known as Petites Bonnes - Victims of Violence and Maltreatment in Mauritania, with the aim of identifying exploited children and giving them hospitality, protection and basic rights such as education, health and nutrition services. The Foundation is also committed to helping women find jobs in order to enable them to meet basic family needs without having to allow their daughters to work.