Social Violence and Gender Inequality: Mali’s Young Bambara Domestic Workers

Abstract

This chapter shows the social process that exposes young migrant peasant girls to ordinary violence. The first part of the chapter analyses elements of the social context and specific circumstances that have a decisive influence on the girls' situation. The second part considers the different forms of social violence faced by young girls due to their personal circumstances. To protect their families against fadenya humiliation and to honour themselves, the young girls have no choice but to migrate to cities to work as domestic servants or street vendors. The first risk from having voluntarily or coerced sexual relations is that the girls may become pregnant by someone other than their promised groom. A first escape is offered through abortion. The experience of all this suffering profoundly affects the girls' sense of otherness and the legitimacy of the institutions that they no longer consider able to ensure their social integration. Keywords: abortion; fadenya ; gender inequality; peasant girls; social violence