By Oluwole Leigh
The Bring Back Our Girls Campaign started after over 200 school girls were kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram militants between April 14 and 15 2014. The exact number is not known but different accounts put it between 200 and 300 girls. They were students at the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State. The girls were getting ready to take their final examinations before they were abducted. A lot of international condemnation has trailed the kidnapping as a result of the reluctance of the Nigerian Government to protect its own citizens. Daily protests and demonstrations have been held over this horrific incident. The focus of this piece is not to shed more light on the #bringbackourgirls campaign but to highlight the plight of many girls that live in domestic servitude across the country. As we protest the inhumane actions of the Chibok kidnappers, it is necessary to examine the fate of young girls serving as house helps in many homes. The International Labour Organization estimates the number of working children in Nigeria to be about 15 million. This statistic is also made worse by the fact that 45 per cent of our population is made up of children under the age of 15 years. Quite a number of these children are employed as domestic servants in various households.
Historically, children who grew up in poor households were sent to live with relatives who were educated or in a better financial situation. These children were expected to help with household chores with the hope that they gain some form of enlightenment by living with educated people. This practice has morphed over time into some sort of business. Little children are no longer being sent to the houses of trusted relatives. They are being placed in homes in urban centres for a fee and have become commodities that bring in income. These kids are usually referred to as housemaids or house helps. More often than not, young girls largely outnumber young boys that find themselves in this situation.
House helps are mainly required for two types of families. The first type of family is the young family that has just taken delivery of a baby. The second type involves retirees and senior citizens who require some sort of help with domestic activities. The latter case often involves old people who are no longer as active as they used to be. The discourse in this article is restricted to the first type of family. Back in the day, the arrival of a baby also meant the arrival of the mother or mother-in-law to help take care of the baby. The baby was left in the care of the grandparents for the first few months or years. Modern day scenarios have hampered the continuation of these trends as a lot of grandparents are gainfully employed and are not able to take time off work to help with the new baby. This dilemma often results in the need for external domestic help. Most families seem to do well without the need for domestic help until kids come into the picture. It is almost expected to commence the search for the house-help as soon as the new baby is born. In some cases, the search for a house help starts the moment a pregnancy reaches its final stages. At this stage, the agent is contacted and asked to help bring a house help into the home.
The agent is not an altruistic individual who is interested in saving kids from poverty and disease. Agents act as middlemen who help place these kids as domestic servants in most urban areas. He sees the transactional value derived from these placements and aims to maximize this value. He is paid a one-off commission called a ‘finder’s fee’, which is supposed to help him search for these girls. The moment he locates a suitable girl; he gets in touch with the requesting family and sends the lady off. In some cases, the family has special requirements that may include a demand that the house girl is from their ethnic group. He may or may not be able to meet the demands of his clients in all cases. After a successful placement with a family, the agent collects a monthly salary for the house help and is supposed to pay some of this amount to her family. It is not possible to determine if agents remit these salaries to the parents of the house help. It is possible that the parents only take solace in the thoughts that their daughter is being brought up in better conditions than they would have provided. The current trend is that the house help’s salary is paid in advance to the agent. This advance could cover a period of 3 months or 6 months depending on the negotiation power of the clients. The agent is called upon if any issues arise as a result of the employment of the house help. If the performance of the house help is unsatisfactory, the agent withdraws her from that household and moves her to another one.
Most families are oblivious to the origins of the young girls. They usually arrive in an unkempt state with little or no exposure to life in the big city. In many situations, the young kids have travelled over long distances from rural areas till they get to the city. Once they arrive in the city, the agent dispatches them to various homes. The host family takes in the house help and assigns duties to her. A first-time house help would require a lot of training. It is possible she does not understand how to use the electric kettle or how to make a cup of tea. The ‘breaking in’ period is usually frustrating for both parties. The young girl has to adjust to a new environment while learning to interface with total strangers. The whole day is usually filled with various iterations of this schedule. In some cases, the housemaid sleeps in the same room as the baby while in other cases the househelp may have to make do with just a mattress on the floor. Her typical day goes like this: wake up between 5 and 6 am, sweep the floor, bath the baby or little child, feed the baby or little child, get the child ready for school, continue with housework and take care of the baby. Her days are filled with activities revolving around work. She has little room for interaction with her peers except in situations when she comes across other young girls in her situation. This is often the case in public places such as malls, churches and parks.
The househelp is usually exposed to danger as a result of her occupation. Due to the fact that these young girls are not used to the new environment, it is common to see them make mistakes when carrying out simple tasks. These mistakes could lead to physical violence on the part of the hosts. A lot of young girls end up with scars that derive from constant assault. While these parents may act as angels to their kids, they function as devils in the life of the house girl. The physical violence may also occur when they are required to lift items that are way beyond their physical capabilities. Apart from physical violence, these young girls are often exposed to sexual violence. These acts of sexual violence are often carried out by other domestic staff such as drivers and gatemen. Drivers and security men tend to see househelps as sexual objects within their command. Many househelps have become pregnant as a result of these dalliances. The driver or gateman often waits for a time when the family members are gone out in order to take advantage of the young girl. Thus, the young girl is exposed to the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This is the reason why many families tend to subject househelps to medical tests before taking them into their families. Househelps also suffer from what can be described as psychological violence. Members of the host families often hurl abusive words at them if they are judged to have taken wrong actions.
Host families sometimes suffer from the actions of house helps. Househelps take money, jewellery and other household items. Often times, the family cannot understand why she is stealing things that can be given to her if she asked. The reality of the house help is that she has been relocated from an environment of grinding poverty to one of overwhelming abundance. Her natural reaction is to see some of these benefits as booty that must be taken and kept. She consistently believes that her good fortune may end soon and she needs to ‘prepare for the rainy day’. Her mind is unable to adjust to the reality of asking and receiving things. She would rather take them without permission. The househelp has not grown up within a normal environment and is unable to make the right moral choices. While other kids go out to play, she is supposed to stay indoors and work. The psychological effects of the forced relocation show up when things begin to go wrong.
It is necessary to point out that the situation is not always gloomy. Some house helps are able to benefit from some form of education. Their host families send them to nearby schools. Those who may not be able to undergo formal education are usually sent to trade schools to learn hairdressing and sewing. The trend amongst middle class and upper class families are to employ a nanny alongside the househelp. The Nanny takes care of the kids while the househelp takes care of household chores. The division of labour helps prevents the househelp from being overworked and gives her sometime to rest. In some cases, the househelp becomes a part of the family and is seen as a member of the family. She is given the right to make her choices and determine her path.
The above situation makes it necessary to examine relevant parts of the law to see if the experiences of househelps are permissible under the law. In July 2003, the National Assembly passed the Child Rights Act into law. President Obasanjo signed the bill into law in October 2003. The law defines a child as one below the age of eighteen years and covers many aspects of the existence of children in Nigeria.
In the area of Education, the law states that every child has the right to free, compulsory and universal basic education and it shall be the duty of the Government in Nigeria to provide such education. In the area of Dignity, the law states that every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be held in slavery or servitude, while in the care of a parent, legal guardian or school authority or any other person or authority having the care of the child. In the area of Protection, it states that every child has a right to parental care and, protection and accordingly, no child shall be separated from his parents against the wish of the child except— for the purpose of his education and welfare. In the area of Child labour, it explicitly states that no child shall be employed as a domestic help outside his own home or family environment. The act comprehensively provides a safe haven for the growth and development of the Nigerian child. Unfortunately, the act has not been domesticated in all the states of the federation. There has been no measured progress in the area of Children’s rights since the act came into law
In Nigeria, it is obvious that the prevalent culture of domestic servitude is reigning supreme over the law. This conundrum leaves us with many questions – Do we change the law to make it more culturally relevant? Do we enforce the law and arrest everybody involved in the violation? Is it possible for Religious Institutions to provide a way out of this situation? Is it possible to get older people to take on these domestic duties? I will examine possible solutions in the next part.
