Beaten, raped and forced to work: why I'm exposing the scandal of Nigeria’s house girls
Mariam and Edna were just two of millions of children trapped in domestic slavery. Their tragic stories inspired me to write a novel targeting a practice that is rife in the country
Abi Daré
Abi Daré witnessed first-hand the plight of two house girls while growing up in Lagos.
Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian
One day, when my daughter was eight, I asked her to help me unload the dishwasher. She moaned, dragged her feet and pleaded for Haribo in exchange for this simple task. I asked her if she knew how lucky she was and told her that, in many homes in Nigeria, girls as young as her were forced to do chores all day, every day. They were not allowed to go to school, or eat at the table, or watch TV. She was amazed. Looking into her face, the horror of what was considered so normal during my childhood really hit me. It was child slavery – and it continues today. It was for these forgotten girls, trapped in domestic slavery, that I wrote my debut novel, The Girl With the Louding Voice.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the number of working children under the age of 14 in Nigeria is estimated to be as high as 15 million, but due to the nature of the problem it is almost impossible to land on an accurate number. A large proportion of these children are young girls, who work as “house girls”: domestic servants who are often underage and forced against their will into this kind of work. Many of them never see their “wages”, as they are paid directly to agents or family members.
I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. I lived in a smart, middle-class neighbourhood, in a house that sat in the middle of a row of terraced houses. Our neighbourhood wanted for nothing. Nearby, there was a well-equipped primary and secondary school, a church with stained-glass windows and stunning green surrounds, a supermarket that sold the best vanilla ice-cream I have ever tasted, paved driveways filled with good cars, a local beach where you could buy the best grilled meat. Pretty much all of the families who lived around us employed domestic servants, who in some cases were girls as young as eight.
I remember two girls in particular. Mariam, a maid to our neighbour, and Edna, who worked for another neighbour. It was easy to spot a house girl. Many of them had unkempt hair and were dressed in tattered, dirty clothes. They would stand behind a family of well-dressed, well-fed, well-spoken children, their heads bent, silent.
Heart-breaking ... the trailer for the documentary House Girls.
Mariam arrived in our neighbourhood one summer when I was 13. She was 11 and small, with a shaved head. When she laughed, which was often, the house would seem to vibrate with her laughter. I had no sister, so I found a sister in Mariam. But Mariam was not like me. While I played and spent the summer visiting amusement parks and hanging out with friends in their palatial homes, she worked every day. I watched as a girl younger than me tirelessly cooked, cleaned and, even though she was not employed by my family, washed my clothes and tended to me. I attended an all-girls boarding school in Lagos, but Mariam did not go to school. She spoke in Yoruba and broken English. She was intelligent and brilliant, and we would play together until the woman who employed her (her “madam”) would return.
Edna was older than Mariam, maybe 19 or 20. Whenever they could, Edna and Mariam would hang out together, stealing moments during a shared chore or on a trip to the local supermarket. When I returned to school at the end of that summer, I remember watching as Mariam stood behind her madam, with tears running down her face.
It was the last time I ever saw her. When I came back about six weeks later, Mariam had disappeared. Edna was dead.
There is more to this story including a link to the book. Please find it at the Guardian.
Additional charges laid against Wollongong cricket coach over child grooming, indecent acts
Detectives have laid an additional six charges against a cricket coach following an investigation into the alleged grooming of teenage boys he was coaching.
In December 2019, detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced an investigation following reports a 15-year-old boy had been groomed by a man who was known to him.
Following extensive inquiries, detectives charged a 31-year-old man in January 2020. He remains before the courts. Following further investigations, the man was charged with six additional offences last Thursday (12 March 2020).
The charges include groom child under 14 years for unlawful sexual activity (x2), groom child between 14 and 16 years for unlawful sexual activity (x2) and aggravated sexual act child between 10 and 16 (x2).
Police will allege in court that the man groomed a further two boys – aged between 12 and 15 – in the Illawarra area in 2015 and 2016.
It will be further alleged the man carried out sexual acts in the presence of one of the boys.
The man remains on conditional bail to appear at Wollongong Local Court today (Wednesday 18 March 2020).
Investigations are continuing.
The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse, and extreme cases of neglect.
Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. People should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Chatham, UK, child sex abuser sent to prison
By Matt Leclere
KentLive
A child sex abuser has been locked up in prison and will be the rest of his life on an offenders register.
Glenn Colombier denied abusing the child – who was aged under 13 – in Chatham when he was first arrested.
Glenn Colombier has been jailed for child sex offences in Chatham. Picture: Kent Police (31722949)
But the 26-year-old later admitted the offence and was sentenced to serve three years and four months in jail.
Colombier, of Rainham Way, Bow, east London, appeared this morning at Maidstone Crown Court.
The offence took place between March and April 2018.
During the investigation, Colombier sent threatening texts and made aggressive and racially abusive phone calls to a police officer and social work involved in his case.
He pleaded guilty to charges of sending malicious and racist messages.
"Colombier is a vile character and his disgusting behaviour
has rightly put him behind bars"
Colombier will now be on the sex offenders register all his life.
PC James Finch, from the Medway Vulnerability Investigation Team, led the investigation against Colombier.
He said: "Colombier is a vile character and his disgusting behaviour has rightly put him behind bars. I applaud the victim for their bravery in reporting this abuse and helping to bring Colombier to justice.
"We have a dedicated team of specialist officers who treat this kind sexual assault with the utmost sensitivity and who relentlessly pursue sexual predators. I hope this result gives other victims the confidence to come forward."
A spokesman for the NSPCC said: "No child should ever have to endure the sickening abuse that Colombier inflicted on his victim. Sexual abuse can leave children with horrific emotional scars, so it is now vital that this young person receives the support they need to help them move forward with their life.”
Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000.
Children and young people can call Childline on 0800 1111 or get help online via www.childline.org.uk
Man sexually assaulted child and teenagers
on Oxfordshire buses - spared jail
By Will Walker @OxMailWilliamW
A DEVIANT who preyed on teenagers and a child, sexually assaulting them on buses across Oxfordshire, has been spared jail.
In one of his eight instances of sexual assault Phillip Brock targeted an eight-year-old child and also followed a woman he had groped to a job centre.
The 62-year-old of Hertford Close, Bicester, had already admitted eight counts of sexual assault.
Oxford Crown Court heard at his sentencing hearing on Monday how the victims had all been left with various psychological problems, including anxiety and a fear of going outside.
Outlining the case prosecutor Jane Brady said the abuse involved five victims on various dates between January and October last year. Detailing the incidents she said they took place on buses around Oxfordshire and involved teenagers, women and one child - none of whom can be named for legal reasons.
On one occasion Brock touched a woman's thigh and stroked her hair while on a bus leaving St Aldate's. He also hit that woman's backside during the assault.
Another woman was assaulted on a bus from Wallingford to Didcot where Brock repeatedly touched her thigh. He went on to follow that woman to a job centre.
One of his assaults involved an eight-year-old girl while on a bus from Didcot, where he stroked his victim's hair.
Victim personal statements read to the court revealed that the victims had suffered problems including anxiety and stress as a result of the bus attacks.
In mitigation Brock's defence barrister Peter Du Feu said: "He does understand the hurt that he has caused. He does understand that what he was up to on these buses was very wrong."
He added that his client had been described as having 'moderate learning difficulties' and that his level of disability was 'quite profound.'
Sentencing, Judge Ian Pringle QC said: "You have got to understand that this behaviour is totally unacceptable, it must never ever happen again."
Brock was handed a one-year jail term, suspended for two years and he must complete 15 days rehabilitation activity requirement and 40 days sexual offending behaviour programme. He was also banned from public transport for life and will sign the sex offenders register.
UK sex offender amassed more than 45,000 images of children subjected to 'most vile abuse'
Ethan Chapman, 20, was told by a judge that 'disgrace and humiliation' were part of his punishment after downloading the sickening pictures
A sex offender who amassed more than 45,000 sickening images of child abuse kept his freedom as a judge said he had already learned a "harsh lesson".
Ethan Chapman, 20, was told "disgrace and humiliation" would be part of his punishment - but he would not go to custody.
He was arrested and his phone and laptop seized and examined after a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation on the "dark web". Officers found 45,651 child abuse images on the two devices after the former Darlington man's arrest on August 28, 2018.
The collection of indecent pictures included 36,186 at category A, the worst level, Teesside Crown Court heard. The images were deleted and Chapman’s laptop showed he had used the dark web and various anonymisation techniques to hide his true identity, says the NCA.
Prosecutor Rachel Masters added: "The fact that the images were found in an inaccessible area (shows) a clear attempt to conceal them." She said at the sentencing hearing on Monday that the images were downloaded after a year-long period.
He refused to be interviewed, but later admitted three offences of making indecent images of children - his first conviction - dated between 2015, when he was under 18, and 2018.
And yet, the judge decided he had learned his lesson this time, for some reason.
'Exploited by people who were far more sophisticated'
Aisha Wadoodi, defending, said Chapman had witnessed domestic violence from a very young age in an "exceptionally difficult" upbringing. He had been bullied at school and, when he came out as gay at home, was kicked out and sent to London.
"He then went on apps such as Grindr, where he met much older men and found himself in the position he does," added Ms Wadoodi. "He's never had any type of proper boundaries, what's right and what's wrong, from his home perspective.
"It was very easy for him to be drawn into this world and be to some extent exploited by people who were far more sophisticated then he was."
Ms Wadoodi said the otherwise responsible and bright café worker pleaded guilty despite the stigma of the offences, while older defendants in other cases put off owning up.
She accepted it was a likely prison sentence, but asked for it to be kept as low as possible. "A lengthy custodial sentence in this case wouldn't assist either the public or him, frankly," argued Ms Wadoodi.
'Deplorable' and 'almost unimaginable' abuse
Judge Paul Watson QC said of the images: "They are deplorable.
"Sometimes it's thought by people who download and create images of this kind that this is somehow a victimless crime. It of course isn't. These are real children who have been subjected to real and the most vile abuse, so that images can be created and distributed to people who wish to download them.
"The extent of the abuse and degradation of these children is almost unimaginable," the judge said. "And it's people like you who download and create images like this, who perpetuate this disgusting industry."
He described Chapman's background as "hard to comprehend" and said it "makes for horrific reading". He added: "Prison is to be reserved as punishment for the most serious offences. I regard these as being offences of the most serious kind.
"I take the view that a custodial sentence is unavoidable." But he decided to suspend the term, saying: "I'm quite satisfied that you've already learnt a very harsh lesson. Simply from the fact of this prosecution and being brought before the court, subject to the disgrace and humiliation that no doubt this conviction will bring on you.
"The disgrace it has brought on your family as well as yourself will form part of the punishment."
Seriously, your honour, do you think embarrassing his family is punishment for him? I suggest it was sweet revenge.
Chapman was given an nine-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months with a sex offender treatment programme and up to 35 days' rehabilitation activity.
He was given a sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register, both for five years.
'Time you put your potential to use'
Judge Watson said: "It's not intended for you to be an easy option, and it won't be. You're going to have to face up to what you did and to the effect that doing the sort of things that you were doing has."
After reading references, he said: "They speak of a different side to you altogether. They speak of a young man of intelligence and potential. It's about time you put that potential to use."
NCA operations manager Graham Ellis said: "Every child in an abuse image is re-victimised when the photograph is viewed or shared. Chapman’s use of the dark web shows a degree of sophistication and a determination to avoid law enforcement detection.
"Dark web child sex offenders – some of whom are the very worst offenders – cannot hide from law enforcement."
The NCA and UK police arrest around 500 child sex offenders a month and safeguard about 700 children a month.
Child Protection Charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation runs the Stop It Now! helpline which offers confidential advice to anyone concerned about their own or someone else’s behaviour towards children.
If you are concerned a crime has been committed against a child contact your local police. For advice on child safety visit Thinkuknow.co.uk.
Blackburn, UK, pervert with sordid sexual interest in young girls spared jail
By Aban Quaynor
Lancashire Telegraph
THE best way to protect the public from a sex offender with a deep-seated interest in young girls was to give him a three-year community order, a judge decided.
Judge Sara Dodd imposed the order on 53-year-old Mark Julian Walduck who was found with a laptop containing indecent images of girls as young as seven in his Blackburn home.
Preston Crown Court heard that Walduck had been searching for and previewing the “vile images” using an online file sharing program over 11 years. Prosecuting, Paul Cummings said police raided Walduck’s home on August 24, 2017.
Police seized Walduck’s Infinity laptop and found 20 category A indecent images of children – the most serious examples of child sexual abuse – six category B images and one extreme pornographic image, which featured a woman having intercourse with a horse.
Mr Cummings said: “He had actively searched for this type of material before he had downloaded it.”
The court heard there was evidence to suggest Walduck had previewed the indecent images, which featured girls between ages seven and 15 being abused, on a number of occasions before downloading them and moving them into folders.
When he was interviewed by police following the analysis of the laptop, Walduck denied he had been responsible for downloading or saving the images and suggested that other people had access to the machine.
However Walduck, of Green Lane, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image.
Defending, Duncan Nightingale said his client suffered badly with his mental health and had attempted to take his own life several times in the last 18 months.
Judge Dodd said: “Your sordid sexual interest in images of young girls is long-standing, going back to April 2006. As you now acknowledge all of those girls depicted in the images are a victim of terrible sexual abuse.”
Walduck was ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation days, a 40-day sexual offender programme and 100 hours unpaid work.
Think that will correct an 11 year habit?
He was also made subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders’ register for five years.
Judge Dodd added: “If I was to send you to custody it would be for a period measured in a few months. That in my view would not protect society from your interest in young children.”
Good grief!
Gateshead, UK, paedophile whose campaign of child rape was exposed when girl told her friend is jailed for 19 years
A paedophile who subjected a little girl to a campaign of rape was caught after she told her school friend what was happening to her.
Predator Graham Lane raped and sexually assaulted the child when she was less than ten years old.
He had frightened her into silence but her ordeal was finally ended when she told her little friend the secret and she told her mum.
Now Lane, 58, of Blyth Street, Chopwell, Gateshead, has been jailed for 19 years at Newcastle Crown Court.
The girl's mum said in a victim impact statement: "I'm devastated at the disclosure of rape and sexual abuse of my daughter. (She) has had nightmares and night terrors in the past and I believe this is linked to the abuse. We have been referred to counselling to deal with the abuse."
Lane admitted a series of offences, including rapes and sexual assaults on the girl.
He was also found to have indecent images of children, including of the girl and others from the internet. He also admitted sex offences in relation to another young girl.
No comments:
Post a Comment