Some 23,000 minor girls work as housemaids in Casablanca region
Morocco, Economics, 2/7/2002

Some 23,000 young girls are working as housemaids in the region of Casablanca, according to findings of a survey conducted by the ministry of economic forecasts and planning, the UNICEF and the FNUAP.

The survey shows that most of these girls (86.8%) come from rural areas, 59.2 % are aged less than 15 and 82.2% have never been to school. The majority belongs to large families of an average of 8 persons and supported by a person working in agriculture.

A percentage of 8% of these girls started to work when they were between 5 and 7 years of age.

These girls work between 12 and 16 hours daily and are paid between 220 Dirhams for girls aged between 7 and 10 and 500 DH for girls aged between 15 and 17. They stay an average of 8 months with the same family and cite ill-treatments and work load as the main reasons for departure to another family.

65% of housemaids said their relatives visit them. 70% say their relatives visit them to take the salary while another 30% say their relatives visit them to inquire about their situation.

The same survey found that 81% of employers know nothing about their employee problems as only 57% of housemaids sit with them at the same table for meals.

More than half (55%) have already been victims of bodily sanctions and punishments and 4.2% were already victims of sexual abuses.

Regarding the chief of the employer-family, the survey said 85% of them are men aged over 40, of which 50% have a higher education level. 35% of them live in villas, 35% in flats and 31.2% in other types of lodgings.

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