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Domestic Worker Tortured in Guinea

 

Guinea -

This is the story of a young woman 20-year-old woman, Aissatou Lamarna Diallo, who is a mother of a 3-year-old girl.


Aissatou is from a village located more than 500 km away from Conakry, the Guinean capital where her father lives. She worked
for Dame Mariama Dalanda SOUARÉ since January 15, 2020, she cleaned and cooked. She was paid 400,000 FG, the equivalent of $ 43, per month, which is less the Guinean minimum wage, and lived with her employer.  Her boss accused her of theft of money in Guinean Francs equivalent to $ 800 and a phone that costs € 160. As if unjust accusations alone were not horror enough, she called a young man who came to torture the employee. He tried to rape her several times.

We learned the story from SYNEM-Guinee, our affiliate in the country. They were informed by a woman journalist and civil society activist. Asmaou, the General Secretary of the union took a friend and went in search of the parents of Aissatou Diallo. After 2 days of relentless work, they found her mother. The latter accompanied them to her daughter’s employer.

Upon arrival, they found the domestic worker burnt with an iron 6 times on her right foot, tied up, beating, sequestered for days, and completely traumatized. They took photos to document the atrocities secretly from the employer.

“We wanted to talk to the employer, but she kicked us out of her house,” Asmaou explained.

“We informed the gendarmerie which takes care of vulnerable women and children, which sent a team of 4 gendarmes the next day to rescue the worker.”

The commander sent the SYNEM unionists accompanied by a gendarme to the forensic doctor Dr Assane BAH at the Ignass Deen hospital.

“The doctor inspected the health state of Aissatou, wrote a report, and referred us to the trauma service,” Asmaou continued.

At the gendarmerie, the employer was at the hearing. Her file was transferred to the Mafanco court of first instance. After 2 days the prosecutor summoned SYNEM domestic worker leaders, and the 2 were heard. As a result, the employer was sent to prison for over a month.

The gendarmerie and the prosecutor entrusted the domestic worker to Asmaou. She looked after her and took care of her for 15 days. The gendarmes and the judge were very efficient. The Guinean Organization for Human Rights (OGDH) contributed with the provision of a lawyer.

Asmaou brought the domestic worker back to her mother after recovery. They are now waiting for the verdict on the employer.

SYNEM thanks the Ministers of Justice, Security and Civil Protection, as well as women rights NGOs, the national gendarmerie, and the media for their cooperation.

Everyone took a strong collective stance to rescue and support the domestic worker.