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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - Tens of thousands of elementary school-age girls work in Guinea for no pay as household servants in conditions akin to slavery, according to a report released Friday by Human Rights Watch.
The girls, some as young as 5 years old, cook, clean, fetch water and care for the host family's own children. They are often promised money but the majority are never paid. The few that are paid receive on average less than $5 per month, the New York-based group said.
Known in Francophone West Africa as the "petites bonnes," or little maids, the girls often work 18-hour days and are prevented from attending school.
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