African immigrants to U.S. bring girls in as maids

The trafficking of children for domestic labor in the U.S. is an extension of an illegal but common practice in Africa. Families in remote villages send their daughters to work in cities for extra money and the opportunity to escape a dead-end life. Some girls work for free on the understanding that they will at least be better fed in the home of their employer. The custom has led to the spread of trafficking, as well-to-do Africans - accustomed to employing children - emigrate to the United States. Around one-third of the estimated 10,000 forced laborers in the U.S. are servants trapped behind the curtains of suburban homes, according to a study by the National Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley and Free the Slaves, a nonprofit group. It's not known how many are kids. These children never go to school. They live as modern-day slaves.