Slavery in Mauritania
Until now I connected the word “slavery” to old times.
Apparently I was misguided, like so many others too. According to the United Nations there are about 12 Million people living in a modern form of slavery today, working as forced labourers and forced sex workers.
The country which abolished slavery last was Mauritania but only in 1981. Even worse is the fact that slavery became criminalised there only in 2007 and until now there was only one conviction. If there is a trial the slaves have to prove that they are slaves. Its not the slaveholders who have to prove that they are not guilty. When doubt in benefit for the slaveholder.
Mauritania is on number one on the world-slavery-index with at least 140.000 people living in slavery. In Mauritania´s society slavery is deeply embedded and often still accepted. In most cases its the white Moor holding the Soudans living in the south or the Afro-Moors as slaves. Many of todays slaves were born into their slaveholder-family. Slavery is inheritable. On top of that many of the female slaves get raped by there slaveholders. The children born out of this are kept as slaves aswell.
Some people try to justify the institution of slavery in Mauritania with religious ideology. Some say that Islam doesn´t forbid the holding of slaves. As always there are many ways of translating and interpreting certain passages. Fact is that there is not enough evidence to justify nor forbid slavery because of Islam. Therefore slavery can´t be legitimised with religious arguments.
The slaves work in different sectors, for example as farmers or menials. Although we are not talking about “slaves on chains” anymore the people are suppressed in a way that it can´t be considered a free life. The suppression of modern slavery happens on an economical and psychological level. Their access to education is denied, they don´t get paid and they are not aware of their own rights. Therefore there is no way for the slaves to demand their own right because they don´t know them, nor what a free life looks like.
Biram Dah Abeid is willing to change this. His father was born a slave himself but was released into freedom. Abeid´s aim is it to fight against modern slavery in his country and to educate the people about their right to live a free life. He is president of the anti-slavery-movement IRA and one of the most important human rights activist when it comes to slavery and forced labourers.
His work is supported by the United Nations and the European Union.
Abeid got arrested a couple of times already, last in November 2014. He was attending a peaceful demonstration and is accused to have caused violence and disturbance in public. His trial started on the 18th of December 2014. There are no national or international observers present.
Obviously the Mauritanian Government is not very keen on this man who is fighting for the implementation of a law that was issued 7 years ago. Several clerics also became his enemy. In 2012 Abeid burned a Holy Scripture which apparently justifies slavery. The Holy Scripture is not part of official Islam. He got arrested and faced a death threat of an Imam.
Still Abeid won´t give up the fight against slavery. He is looking for a peaceful solution but would take further steps if necessary (which is not supported by UN and EU).
Only through education can we free the people who are still living in captivity. Educating the people about their right to live a life in freedom. Educating ourselves aswell.
Until now I connected the word “slavery” to old times.
See more @ http://www.endslaverynow.org/
Image: wikipedia.org