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Contemporary Slavery in Mauritania

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Contemporary Slavery in Mauritania UC Santa Barbara Global Societies Journal Title Constructing a Human Rights Campaign: Contemporary Slavery in Mauritania Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m91s3fb Journal Global Societies Journal, 5(0) Author Rütti, André Publication Date 2017 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California CONCEPTUAL PAPER Constructing a Human Rights Campaign: Contemporary Slavery in Mauritania André Rütti[1] Abstract This paper seeks to draft a human rights campaign with regards to contemporary slavery in Mauritania. The research focuses on political, economic, social, and religious factors that account for the persistence of the institution of slavery within the Mauritanian society. These aspects are taken into consideration to construct a campaign that addresses the human rights issue at hand. In order to ensure a measurable impact, a twofold top-down and bottom-up approach is considered. The focus is set on measures aimed at the Mauritanian government, while simultaneously engaging with the local grassroots population. The core pillars of the campaign are a symbolic voice that articulates the human rights claims, a convincing message constructed around the well-established frame of slavery, the adequate use of media, and the construction of a receptive audience. This work gives an overview of the possibilities of promoting a certain aspect of human rights in a society where slavery is deeply ingrained. It also draws on the certain limits to the campaign that, to this day, represent important obstacles for a more egalitarian Mauritanian society. Keywords Mauritania, slavery, human rights, campaign, Biram Dah Abeid [1]Department of Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Corresponding author: [email protected]. © 2017 André Rütti. Some rights reserved, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Global Societies Journal Vol. 5 (2017) 50 1. Introduction At the international level, the Congress of Vienna had deemed the practice repugnant The problem of slavery is not new to in 1815, which led to the establishment of Mauritania. Slavery has existed in all ethnic the Slavery Convention by the League of communities for centuries; unlike human Nations in 1926. In Article 1, slavery is trafficking, however, it does not seem to be defined as “the status or condition of a correlated to increasing globalization and person over whom any or all of the powers constant migratory flows (Brysk, 2015). At attaching to the right of ownership are present, there are two major cultural and exercised” (Smith, 2013: 60). Slavery ethno-linguistic groups in Mauritania—“the usually includes a forced labor component, Arab-Berber people, commonly referred to which is defined as “all work or service as [beydanes or] Moors, largely nomadic which is exacted from any person under the […], and the black African population, made menace of any penalty and for which the up of Pular, Soninke, and Wolof, mostly said person has not offered himself settled […]” (Shahinian, 2010: 5). voluntarily” (Kaye, McQuade, 2007: 3). Additionally, there is a subdivision of a This first enforceable international legal black group of people called haratines—also instrument was followed by the United known as black Moors—who are an integral Nations Supplementary Convention on the part of the Moorish ethnic group, but Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and regarded as inferior due to their former slave Institutions and Practices similar to Slavery status (Fleischman, 1994: 9). The institution in 1956, which broadened the definition to of slavery is “deeply ingrained as part of a include criminalized slavery-like hierarchical social structure,” which can be institutions. Moreover, slavery is considered found in both the black African and the to be among crimes “so serious that, Moor societies, but it is more dominant in regardless of where they were committed, the latter (Shahinian, 2010: 5). Even though any country on earth may claim jurisdiction slavery has been internationally recognized over them and seek prosecution of those as a human rights issue and openly debated alleged to have committed them [under the for over 200 years, failure to enforce doctrine of universal jurisdiction]” (Schulz, international and local legislation has 2013: 323). resulted in continued suffering for thousands In Mauritania, the vast majority of of Mauritanians. This paper is an attempt to enslaved people belong to the haratine draft a campaign against contemporary community. It is a descent-based slavery in slavery in Mauritania by taking into account which the victims often do not know that the economic, social, cultural, and legal they are being exploited, because for implications. generations they have not known any other way of life. In addition to the unremunerated labor they are forced to provide, violations 2. Slavery in the International and such as beatings and rapes are frequent; Mauritanian Context slaves and their children can be rented out, loaned, or given as gifts, because they are By the beginning of the 21st century, considered the master’s property (Anti- slavery had been outlawed by all states. It is Slavery, Mauritania, 2015). Even though believed that slavery’s “prohibition is an Mauritanian officials do not unanimously obligation owed by all states to the entire recognize the persistence of slavery, there is international community” (Smith, 2013: 60). Global Societies Journal Vol. 5 (2017) 51 clear and compelling evidence that “slavery several legal instruments that expressly continues to exist in certain remote parts of prohibit all forms of slavery, including the Mauritania” (Shahinian, 2010: 10). 1926 Slavery Convention and Protocol According to the Global Slavery Index, amending the Slavery Convention, the Mauritania is ranked as one of the countries Supplementary Convention on the Abolition with the highest percentage of enslaved of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions population. Approximately 43.000 people— and Practices Similar to Slavery of 1956. 1.058% of the population—are victims of At the regional level, Mauritania is slavery (Global Slavery Index, 2017).2 The party to the African Charter on Human and United Nations Special Rapporteur on Peoples’ Rights, which criminalizes slavery contemporary forms of slavery has in Article 5. At the domestic level, slavery confirmed in various reports that slavery as has theoretically been abolished five times an institution continues to exist in certain in the past and the present century. The first parts of the country. Additionally, incident was in 1905, “in a colonial decree international human rights organizations implementing the French law adopted in such as Human Rights Watch and Anti- 1848 abolishing slavery in all French Slavery—together with local human rights colonies” (Shahinian, 2010: 8). This law was organizations such as S.O.S.-Esclaves or indirectly echoed in the 1961 Mauritanian Initiative pour la Resurgence du Mouvement Constitution, which incorporates the Abolitioniste (IRA)-Mauritania—have principles of the Universal Declaration of published studies and gathered a great deal Human Rights in its preamble. However, of documented evidence of slavery (Human there was—and still is—no explicit Rights Watch, 2015; Anti-Slavery, General reference to slavery in the core articles of Slavery Reports, 2015). In light of this broad the Constitution. In 1980, President array of arguments, unanimous Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla issued a governmental recognition is not needed to statement abolishing slavery, which later acknowledge that this problem still plays a became Order No. 081–234, but its major role in the Mauritanian society. definition of slavery was relatively vague (Shahinian, 2010: 8). In 2007, the Slavery Act was adopted and considered a decisive 3. Legislative Efforts and Practical turning point in criminalizing slavery and Failure in Mauritania slave-like practices in Mauritania. Eventually, in 2015 the national assembly Unlike the times when slavery was a adopted a new law that strengthened the state-controlled or promoted institution, existing anti-slavery legislation by elevating contemporary slavery in Mauritania exists at slavery to the status of a crime against a domestic level. It does not directly engage humanity. It added 10 new practices and the responsibility of the State at the doubled the sentences for them (Jeune international level, as the international legal Afrique, 2015). obligations are met. Nonetheless, it is vital This sequence of legislation clearly to recall what the Mauritanian normative indicates that the Mauritanian government is framework regarding slavery entails. At the actively putting effort into improving its bad international level, Mauritania is party to image with regards to these issues. Voices 2 Figures are subject to rapid change—in 2015, the living in slave-like conditions. Other sources still same index ranked Mauritania as the top country with rank Mauritania as the country with the highest per- 155.000 people, representing 4% of the population, capita percentage of modern day slavery. Global Societies Journal Vol. 5 (2017) 52 that would have defended the their masters even after they are granted dehumanization of people through slavery freedom, out of gratefulness and habit with cultural relativism have largely been (Sutter, 2012). Third, many slaves accept a silenced. Instead, freedom, equality, and religious faith because of an intentional dignity should be bestowed on all misuse of religion
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