http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2012 ... index.html
http://thinkafricapress.com/mauritania/ ... n-vestiges
Mauritania is an Islamic state (sharia enforced) in west Africa which was was the last place in the world to abolish slavery (in 1981). BUT they didn't make slavery a crime until 2007, and since then a grand total of ONE slave owners have been prosecuted.
An estimated 10% to 20% of the population are in slavery - almost entirely black slaves owned by Moors and Arab Berbers. This figure is a scientific estimate by the UN's special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery.
What's worse is that the Mauritanian government imposes censorship on any journalistic reporting regarding the matter.
The black population in Mauritania is heavily discriminated against by the Arabic-Islamic government, and live in an extremely desperate state.
Here are some reasons from the CNN article why slavery still persists here:
WHY SLAVERY STILL EXISTS IN 2012
Why has slavery continued in Mauritania long after it was abolished elsewhere? There are many factors that contribute to the complex situation. Here are a few:POLITICS
Mauritania's government has done little to combat slavery and in interviews with CNN denied that the practice exists. "All people are free in Mauritania and this phenomenon (of slavery) no longer exists," one official said.GEOGRAPHY
Mauritania is a huge and largely empty country in the Sahara Desert. This makes it difficult to enforce any laws, including those against slavery. A branch of al Qaeda has found it an attractive hiding place, and the country's vastness also means that rural and nomadic slave owners are largely hidden from view.POVERTY
Forty-four percent of Mauritanians live on less than $2 per day. Slave owners and their slaves are often extremely poor, uneducated and illiterate. This makes seeking a life outside slavery extremely difficult or impossible. On the other hand, poverty has also led to some slave masters setting their slaves free, because they can no longer afford to keep them.RELIGION
Local Islamic leaders, called imams, historically have spoken in favor of slavery. Activists say the practice continues in some mosques, particularly in rural areas. Various religions in many countries have been used to justify the continuation of slavery. "They make people believe that going to paradise depends on their submission," one Mauritanian activist, Boubacar Messaoud, said of how religious leaders handle slavery.RACISM
Slavery in Mauritania is not entirely based on race, but lighter-skinned people historically have owned people with darker skin, and racism in the country is rampant, according to local analysts. Mauritanians live by a rigid caste system, with the slave class at the bottom.EDUCATION
Perhaps most surprising, many slaves in Mauritania don't understand that they are enslaved; they have been brainwashed, activists say, to believe it is their place in the world to work as slaves, without pay, and without rights to their children. Others fear they would lose social status if they were to run away from a master who is seen as wealthy. Slaves of noble families attain a certain level of status by association.
Thoughts NSG? What actions do you think should be taken?
I think sanctions (on governmental officials, to be clear - i.e. freeze accounts, travels bans) by the international community are in order! And if they refuse to take proper action, I think it would be appropriate for the United Nations to refer the whole matter to the International Criminal Court.
This is one of the most grievous violations of international human rights law in the modern world. The callousness (and even alleged complicity) of the Mauritanian government is utterly beyond words.
