Human Trafficking in [Mauritania Street Children in [Mauritania] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Mauritania] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Islamic Republic of Mauritania [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is located in NW Africa [map] and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (W), by Western Sahara
(NW & N), by Algeria (NE), by Mauritania is a source and destination country for children
trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Slavery-related
practices, rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships, continue to exist
in isolated parts of the country. Mauritanian boys called talibe are
trafficked within the country by religious teachers for forced begging.
Children are also trafficked by street gang leaders within the country who
force them to steal, beg, and sell drugs. Girls are trafficked internally for
domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. Mauritanian children may also be
trafficked for forced agricultural and construction labor, herding, and for
forced labor in the fishing industry within the country. Boys from Mali and
Senegal are trafficked to Mauritania for forced begging by religious
teachers. Senegalese and Malian girls are trafficked to Mauritania for
domestic servitude. Senegalese, Malian, Ghanaian, and Nigerian women and
girls may be trafficked to Mauritania for sexual exploitation. Reports
indicate that while some slaves are forced by masters into servitude, others
remain with masters because they lack land and other means to live freely. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June,
2008 [full
country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in *** FEATURED
ARTICLE *** In answer to the Mauritanian
government's assertion that slavery no longer exists in Mauritania, Mohamed
recites the names of the family members he left behind in slavery. "If I
tell you their names, can you count them?" he asked shyly. There are
eight members of his immediate family still living as slaves, and Mohamed
tells me there are many more in Mauritania. It is difficult to know how many
though. International human rights organisations such as Amnesty
International are prevented from entering the country to conduct research.
"Not only has the government denied the existence of slavery and failed
to respond to cases brought to its attention," says Amnesty, "it
has hampered the activities of organisations which are working on the issue,
including refusal to grant such organisations official recognition." Boubakar Messaoud and other
members of SOS Slaves have been imprisoned and harassed by the authorities
for their anti-slavery campaign. It seems the government has little interest
in really wiping out slavery. Meanwhile, slavery remains Mauritania's best
kept open secret. ***
ARCHIVES *** U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs CHILD
LABOR LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT - The 2004 Labor Code sets the minimum age for employment at 14 years,
and defines what the government considers to be worst forms of child
labor. The Labor Law also prohibits
forced and compulsory labor and sets 18 years as the minimum age for work
requiring excessive force, or that could harm the health, safety, or morals of
children. The Criminal Code
establishes strict penalties for engaging in prostitution or procuring
prostitutes, ranging from fines to imprisonment for 2 to 5 years for cases
involving minors. The Law Against
Human Trafficking expands the scope of trafficking for cases involving
children. CURRENT
GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR - The Government of Mauritania held public awareness
campaigns on radio, television and newspaper to publicize provisions in the
new Labor Code and Law Against Human Trafficking. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The
country was a source and destination for men, women, and children trafficked
for the purpose of forced labor. Multiple NGO reports suggested that forced
labor took several forms. Slavery-related practices, and possibly slavery
itself, persisted in isolated areas of the country where a barter economy
still prevailed. Several reports suggested that young girls from remote
regions, and possibly from western SECTION 6
WORKER RIGHTS – [c]
The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by children, but the
law only applies to relations between employers and workers; there were
credible reports such practices occurred. Slavery is illegal although there
were still areas where the attitude of master and slave prevailed and slavery
was practiced. Citizens continued to suffer from
the country's heritage of slavery. Slavery has been officially abolished. The
practice of chattel slavery was once a tradition. Numerous reports suggested
that some members of the long-dominant White Moor community continued to
expect or desire the servitude of Black Moors. The nature of these reports
also suggested that such attitudes impeded the goal of eliminating all
remnants of slavery and related practices, a goal to which the former and
transitional governments and major opposition parties were committed.
Slavery-related practices, and reports of slavery, persisted most strongly in
those remote regions of the east and southeast where a barter economy
existed, where education levels were generally low, and where a greater need
existed for manual labor in work such as herding livestock and tending
fields. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001 [49] The Committee is concerned about
the high number of children engaged in labor, in particular children working
in agriculture, in the informal sector and in the street, including the
talibés who are exploited by their teachers. While recognizing the efforts
undertaken by the State party to stop cases of trafficking of children
towards Arab countries, it remains concerned that girls involved in domestic
service are often not paid or underpaid and that involuntary servitude is
reported to exist in some isolated areas. Mauritanian
rights groups protest suspected case of human trafficking Mauritanian human rights groups
Sunday embarked on a protest against a suspected case of human trafficking in
the country, involving an 18-year-old boy believed to have been sold by his
boss as a `camel shepherd` The NGOs are certain that Mahmoud
was "sold to work as a camel shepherd" in western Sahara or even in
the Arab Gulf countries. Though human trafficking is banned
in Mauritania, there have been recurring cases of children sold out as camel
shepherds in the Arab Gulf countries. In answer to the Mauritanian
government's assertion that slavery no longer exists in Mauritania, Mohamed
recites the names of the family members he left behind in slavery. "If I
tell you their names, can you count them?" he asked shyly. There are
eight members of his immediate family still living as slaves, and Mohamed
tells me there are many more in Mauritania. It is difficult to know how many
though. International human rights organisations such as Amnesty
International are prevented from entering the country to conduct research.
"Not only has the government denied the existence of slavery and failed
to respond to cases brought to its attention," says Amnesty, "it
has hampered the activities of organisations which are working on the issue,
including refusal to grant such organisations official recognition." Boubakar Messaoud and other
members of SOS Slaves have been imprisoned and harassed by the authorities
for their anti-slavery campaign. It seems the government has little interest
in really wiping out slavery. Meanwhile, slavery remains Mauritania's best
kept open secret. Mauritanian
Journalist Arrested A journalist in Mauritania has
been arrested after interviewing a woman allegedly being kept as a slave, a
media rights group says. Reporters
Without Borders (RSF) said Muhammad al-Amin walad Mahmudi, a freelance
journalist, was arrested on Sunday. "The violation of the right to
information once again shows the repressive will of the Mauritanian
authorities, who, embarrassed by a message, send in the police to punish the
messenger." Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 4 Civil Liberties: 4 Status: Partly Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide U.S. Library of Congress
- Country Study Hushed-up
slavery persists in Mauritania The Sahara desert country
officially abolished slavery in 1960 and again in 1980, but it is
nevertheless known as one of the world's few remaining regions where people
keep slaves. Observers say the subject
is hushed up. Anti-slavery activists have been handed prison sentences after
speaking to western media. Malawi African
Association and Others v. Mauritania 26. Communication 54/91 alleges
that there are over 100,000 Black slaves serving in Beidane houses. And that
though 300,000 had bought their freedom, they remain second-class citizens.
Besides, Blacks do not have the right to speak their own languages. According
to communication 98/93, a quarter of the population (500,000 out of 2,000,000
inhabitants in the country) are either slaves or Haratines (freed slaves).
The freed slaves maintain many traditional and social links with their former
masters, which constitutes a more subtle form of exploitation. Saudi
Religious Leader Calls for Slavery's Legalization Muslims, in contrast, still think
the old way. Slavery still exists in a host of majority-Muslim countries (especially Sudan and Mauritania, also
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan) and it is a taboo subject. To enable pious Muslims
to avoid interest, an Islamic financial industry worth an estimated $150
billion has developed. The challenge ahead is clear:
Muslims must emulate their fellow monotheists by modernizing their religion
with regard to slavery, interest and much else. No more fighting jihad to
impose Muslim rule. No more endorsement of suicide terrorism. No more
second-class citizenship for non-Muslims. As Many
As 27 Million Worldwide Forced into Slavery the report showed the trafficking
of boys between to the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf States, continued
slavery in Brazil, and inaction to free slaves in Mauritania. Slavery
Lives on in Mauritania The government of Mauritania abolished
slavery more than 20 years ago. But despite the government's persistent
denials, the practice continues in one form or another. Slavery in the northwest African
country is more of a private tradition than an public institution. The
government isn't directly involved, and it even refuses to publicly admit
that slavery exists in Mauritania. Individuals and families have been
practicing slavery for centuries. Some slaves are treated well by their
masters, others are abused. "There are different levels to it," In
Opposition to Eligibility of Mauritania for Trade Benefits II. MAURITANIA IS INELIGIBLE AS A BENEFICIARY AGOA
COUNTRY BECAUSE IT HAS FAILED TO EFFECTIVELY ABOLISH SLAVERY - In Mauritania slavery was
officially outlawed in 1980. However, as many as 100,000 blacks remain the
property of Arab Berbers, and individuals speaking out against slavery are
persecuted by the government. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
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Human Trafficking in [Mauritania Street Children in [Mauritania] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Mauritania] [other countries]