Slavery in Mauritania

Forced labour and slavery
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Slavery in Mauritania is an entrenched phenomenon the national government has repeatedly tried to abolish, banning the practice in 1905, 1981, and August 2007.^[1]^[2] The descendants of black Africans abducted into slavery now live in Mauritania as "blacks" or haratin and some of them still serve the lighter-skinned "Moors" (Berbers or mixed Berber-Arabs, collectively known as al-bidhaan).

The number of slaves in the country is 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]

Mauritanian organizations like Al'Hor الحر (translated as "the free"), In'itaq إنعتاق (translated as "emancipation") and SOS Esclaves (meaning "SOS Slaves" in French) work against slavery.

A United Nations mission, headed by UN Special Rapporteur and mission leader Gulnara Shahinian, was in Mauritania in November 2009 to evaluate slavery practices in the country.^[6] The mission's findings were presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in August 2010.