#Mauritania – Anti-slavery activists suffer worse fate than slave-owners

1. The number of slaves in the country was not known exactly, but is was estimated to be up to 600,000 men, women and children, or 20% of the population ^[3][4] of 3,069,000 people. Even though slavery is illegal, sociologist Kevin Bales believes that Mauritania is the country with the largest proportion of its population in slavery.^[5]

   Slavery in Mauritania – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

   

   en.wikipedia.org
2. One Man’s Personal Mission To End Slavery in Mauritania

   Boubacar Messaoud remembered strolling from the flatlands of Mauritania toward the southern town of Rosso, a watermelon poised on his head. Beyond a riverbank, he could see a row of children in a yard. Messaoud, then 7, stopped to find out what was going on, with the pure curiosity of a child.

   

   washingtonpost.com
3. Anti-slavery campaigner arrested in Mauritania

   The Mauritanian anti-slavery campaigner Biram Dah Abeid, head of the initiative for the resurgence of the abolitionist movement in Mauritania, has been in custody since 13 December, charged with assaulting two police officers. Human rights organisations have condemned his arbitrary detention and the harassment Abeid has suffered in his struggle against slavery.

   

   guardian.co.uk
4. Slave owner, rights activists convicted in Mauritania

   By Mohamed Yahya Ould Abdel Wedoud in Nouakchott for Magharebia – 18/01/11 A Nouakchott court on Sunday (January 16th) sentenced Oumoulmoumnine Mint Bakar Vall to six months in prison for enslaving two girls, ages 10 and 14, in the city’s Arafat neighbourhood.

   

   magharebia.com
5. Free Imprisoned Mauritanian Anti-Slavery Activists | Change.org News

   Slavery has been illegal in Mauritania since 2007, but the laws against it are rarely enforced. So a group of activists is demanding that the Mauritanian government actually enforce the ban on slavery and hold human traffickers accountable. But six of these activists have now been imprisoned for asking the police to investigate allegations of child trafficking.

   

   news.change.org
6. Mauritanian president pardons anti-slavery activists

   Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz marked Mouled on Tuesday (February 15th) by pardoning prison inmates convicted of non-violent crimes, ANI reported. The freed prisoners included Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) head Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid and two colleagues.

   

   magharebia.com
7. Beyond Abolition: Ending Slavery in Mauritania

   Crossposted at Future Challenges Organization] Slavery is forced labor or exploitation with little to no pay (beyond subsistence) as a result of force, fraud or manipulation. Human trafficking (often called modern-day slavery) usually involves the added elements of recruitment, transportation and receipt of trafficking victims with the intent of exploitation.

   

   aconerlycoleman.wordpress.com
8. 500,000 Blacks Live as Slaves in Africa’s Mauritania | The Atlanta Post

   Mauritania is a north African country in which 20% of the population, 500,000 people, are living in forced servitude. Deprived of even simple rights like having a last name, or retaining control over their children, the slave class is largely made up of black Africans who have been displaced due to a history of tragic events.

   

   atlantapost.com
9. Anti-Slavery – 070411 Hunger strike leads to historic slavery arrests

   Anti Slavery

   

   antislavery.org
10. Mauritania child maids ignite social debate

    By Jemal Oumar and Mohamed Yahia Ould Abdel Wedoud in Nouakchott for Magharebia – 15/04/11 It is a common practice in Mauritania; wealthy families in the cities hiring young girls as household servants. But after activists recently persuaded the government to prosecute employers for violating anti-slavery laws, many maids under the age of 18 were left with no job.

    

    magharebia.com
11. allAfrica.com: Mauritania: Slavery And State Racism

    Tackling the racism and slavery inherent in Mauritania will rely on overthrowing ‘the ideological and religious foundations of slavery and racism with the state.’ The conference held on Saturday 25 June 2011 and organised by Biram Dah Abeid gave rise to a particular interest and enthusiasm on the part of some of the main political actors and their associates within the Mauritanian diaspora in France.

    

    allafrica.com
12. Nine Mauritania anti-slavery activists charged over sit-in | NTN24 …

    Nouakchott, Mauritania (NTN24 wires) – A Mauritanian court on Tuesday charged nine anti-slavery activists with “rebellion”, after they organised a sit-in protest against child enslavement, a judicial source said. The nine members of an anti-slavery NGO were charged with “unauthorised gathering and rebellion,” said the source on condition of anonymity, while one of them also faced charges of aggression towards a police officer.

    

    ntn24news.com
13. Former Mauritanian slaves live in squalor

    By Mohamed Yahya Ould Abdel Wedoud and Jemal Oumar for Magharebia in Nouakchott – 14/08/11 Mauritania criminalised slavery in 2007, but the effects of the practice continue to linger. Many former slaves are often left with little to no property and no source of income.

    

    magharebia.com