Kerry secretary of state 2201 c street, nw washington, dc 20520. Mauritanias constitution of 1991 with amendments through 2012. Mauritania ignores slavery, but jails those who protest. Mauritanias constitution of 1991 with amendments through. A press release summarizing the views of the executive board as expressed during its april 25, 2016 consideration of the staff report that concluded the article iv. Slavery lives on in mauritania tradition thrives thanks to a confluence of cultures.
According to messaoud, muslims in mauritania and other parts of the world have used islam to justify slavery. The research focuses on political, economic, social, and religious factors that account for the persistence of the institution of slavery within the mauritanian society. Shutters shocking documentary effectively shows the true state of slavery in mauritania, interviewing actual slaves and former slave owners. Islam and the abolition of slavery download ebook pdf. Click download or read online button to get islam and the abolition of slavery book now. Nonetheless, tens of thousands of people mostly from the minority haratine or afromauritanian groups. For only the second time in the countrys history, a judge in mauritania this week convicted two people on charges of slavery, according to antislavery activists and u. It was hoped that this would signal a move towards promoting human rights but yesterdays decision has dashed those hopes.
Findings on the worst forms of child labor mauritania. It brings to the light the gendered structures of moorish slavery, and examines their impact on strategies and tactics. The continued failure of the justice system to prevent, protect and punish key findings 2 1 introduction 3 1. Ending slavery hierarchy, dependency and gender in. Slavery has been called deeply rooted in the structure of the northwestern african country of mauritania, and closely tied to the ethnic composition of the country in 1905, an end of slavery in mauritania was declared by the colonial french administration but the vastness of mauritania mostly gave the law very few successes. According to global slavery index, close to 43,000 people in mauritania are currently in slavery. Slavery in mauritania persists despite efforts to abolish it duration. Ending slavery offers insights into the practices of slavery that persist in parts of mauritania up to the present day. Various sources report that slavery continues to exist in mauritania despite periodic attempts to outlaw it the east african 6 sept. Mauritania moderate advancement in 2015, mauritania made a moderate advancement in e. In the west, flat, sandy plains give way to towering dunes while in the centre of the country, rocky escarpments rise steeply from the desert. For the first time the authorities are moving beyond empty promises to hold slaveowners to account.
According to the 2015 anti slavery law, the only entities other than tadamoun that can file criminal cases on behalf of former slaves are legally registered human rights associations that have been operating for 5 years in mauritania. According to the 2015 antislavery law, the only entities other than tadamoun that can file criminal cases on behalf of former slaves are legally registered human rights associations that have been operating for 5 years in mauritania. Nouakchott, mauritania a recent online campaign targeting the government of mauritania illustrates the limited ability of foreign donors to use aid to resolve complex political problems on the african continent. White moors the lighterskinned power class, who control most of the countrys wealth, the government, and the police force, black moors darkerskinned descendants of subsaharan africa, and the haratine black moor slaves who have been freed, but often still exist somewhere on the spectrum between slavery and freedom. This paper seeks to draft a human rights campaign with regards to contemporary slavery in mauritania. Amnesty international is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where. Modern day slavery in mauritania the borgen project.
But the sos slavery puts the number at 600,000 about 17 percent of the entire mauritanian. Western travelers indepth accounts date back to the seventeenth century. The government amended the antislavery law to increase the penalties for slavery o. Mauritania is one of the emptiest countries in the world. Mauritanias endless sea of sand dunes hides an open secret. Mauritania is one of the last countries in the world where people are still born into slavery and literally owned by other people, facing a lifetime of abuse and forced labour. Hierarchy, dependency, and gender in central mauritania find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. These aspects are taken into consideration to construct a campaign that addresses the.
Nonetheless, tens of thousands of people mostly from the. Slaves learn that the more obedient or submissive they are, the. Travelling hierarchies among west african migrants in the cities of paris and bamako. Black slavery in algeria dates back to the arab conquest c. Slavery is reportedly rife in mauritania, a largely desert country of fewer than 4 million inhabitants in northwestern africa. Mauritania outlawed slavery in 1981, the worlds last country to do so. Mauritania was the last country in the world to abolish slavery in 1981 and passed antislavery laws in 2007, but these laws still havent been implemented. I n 1981, mauritania made slavery illegal, the last country in the world to do so.
It was the second such case in the space of a year. Why wouldnt mauritania end slavery once and for all. The difference between slavery in mauritania and other parts of the world is that slavery in maurit. Meanwhile slavery remains mauritanias best kept open secret. Mauritania failing to tackle pervasive slavery, says. Mauritanian slavery is the slavery american plantation owners dreamed of. Part of the french empire for generations, colonial authorities outlawed chattel slavery in 1848, but, as in mauritania in the early twentieth century, legislation was worthless in a desert. It seems the government has little interest in really wiping out slavery. However, there is still slavery in my own country, the dr congo. Although mauritania abolished slavery in 1981 the last country in the world to do so and made it a criminal offense in 2007, the millenniumsold practice persists largely because antislavery laws are. Mauritanias slavery epidemic involves three ethnic groups. And it is the biggest recipient per head of money from an eu fund for africa that is. Slavery in mauritania seems like it would be a huge issue worldwide but its not. Although the abolitionist movements influence is increasing abroad, mauritanias situation on slavery is widely unknown.
Mauritanias government, the court said, is responsible for providing the brothers with financial compensation as well as psychological support. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Authorities permitted prisoners to file allegations of abuse with the cndh, and the mnp. Ironically, just days before the appeal trial, on 11 august 2015, mauritania adopted a law defining slavery as a crime against humanity. The government continued to prevent the registration of some antislavery organizations and associations that. Sarah mathewson, africa programme manager at antislavery international said. Mrg rep maur2 nov15 eng 1 mrg minority rights group. The extent of the problem is denied by mauritanias government, and even by many. The government continued to prevent the registration of some anti slavery organizations and associations that. Pdf on jan 1, 2000, martin klein and others published ending slavery. It also gives lie to the presidents claim that slavery no longer exists in mauritania.
Mauritania is a highly centralized islamic republic with a president as head of state and a constitution grounded in french civil law and sharia islamic law. Slavery is everywhere in mauritania and everyone knows it, experiences it and lives it. A foreign journalist who was investigating slavery, a subject that is completely off limits, was expelled in march 2018. Mauritanias refugees and asylum seekers in country of asylum, mid 2016. The agreement aims to build an integrated market in africa and covers both goods and services, including investments, intellectual property, and competition. Mauritania is a member of the g5 sahel, a regional counterterrorist force with troops from five countries. This conviction is a really big step forwards for mauritania. Slaves and slavery in muslim africa the servile estate. Fear of reprisals makes most journalists censor themselves when covering such subjects as corruption, the military, islam or slavery, which still exists in mauritania. Slave status is inherited, so children born to a mother in slavery also are considered property and can be.
In 1981, mauritania became the last country in the world to. What the government has said here in this forum is not true, and you should all know that, she said. The denial of education to black moors also helps to perpetuate slavery. Slavery in mauritania is tied to islam which makes it even harder to break the practice. Yet in 2017, the practice of slavery is still widespread in mauritanian society.
Descentbased slavery reports antislavery international. Bti 2016 mauritania 3 former slaves or freed slaves. According to one ngo in mauritania, up to 20 percent of the mauritanian population is enslaved. If slavery does indeed exist in these countries, then we must do everything in our power to bring it to an end. The unspeakable truth about slavery in mauritania global. Mauritania has escaped the cycles of crises rocking north africa and the sahel and sahara. Mauritania scanner internet archive html5 uploader 1. Mauritania strengthened its relations with other african countries and signed the afcfta during an extraordinary summit of au heads of state and government on 21 march in kigali, rwanda. Boubakar messaoud and other members of sos slaves have been imprisoned and harassed by the authorities for their antislavery campaigning. Mauritania has the highest proportion of people in slavery in the world. There can be no tolerance for slavery anywhere in the world.