UNPO Relaunches iCAS Campaign
Following the elections at the European Parliament in May 2014, UNPO is re-launching its International Campaign Against Slavery (iCAS) in order to reinvigorate the support for the abolition of all forms of contemporary slavery. UNPO is committed to raising awareness about slavery - its roots, its causes, its forms, its victims, its consequences, those who fight against it and the way forward to abolish it – among MEPs, European officials and other politicians and experts. By advocating for the abolition of all forms of slavery at European institutions, UNPO aims to prioritize the issue at the European level, including through its participation in the EU civil society e-platform against trafficking in human beings.
As a part of iCAS, UNPO is collecting signatures to appeal the United Nations General Assembly to take a strong step towards the eradication of slavery by adopting a resolution and ensuring its implementation by each State, considerting that many Members of UNPO and in particular the Haratin, are witnesses, if not victims, of all forms of contemporary slavery and of the international leaders’ - both political and economic - continued lack of efforts towards its eradication.
The International Labour Organization recently reported that forced labour, with a $150.2B annual global profit, is the most profitable business in the US, beating the sectors of banking and big oil. Mauritania was classified as the worst among pro-slavery countries in the world by the 2013 Global Slavery Index.
Despite having abolished slavery numerous times, Mauritania remains the country where slavery is the most prevalent in the world, with about 20% of Mauritania’s 3.5 million residents living in enslavement, almost exclusively coming from the Haratin ethnic group.
Mauritanian slaves are disempowered and segregated by illiteracy, poverty, geography, history, ongoing discrimination and influenced by a pro-slavery interpretation of Islam. The persistence of slavery has less to do with economic opportunities in Mauritania, and more so with the lack of political will to dismantle the foundations of slavery. An alarmingly low number of cases have been brought before the Mauritanian court, and so far, only one case ended in conviction. The offender was given a two-year sentence, but was released on bail.
In September 2014, UNPO, in cooperation with SOS-Esclaves and Anti-Slavery International, issued a letter concerning a case of slavery of a teenage girl in Mauritania. UNPO is inviting Members of the European Parliament to sign the letter concerning a case of slavery and statutory rape involving Mbeirika Mint M’bareck. The letter is based on the documentation provided by the anti-slavery organization SOS-Esclaves and its lawyer, as well as concerned individuals who have expressed their willingness to publicize the case on the international level.
Due to a persistent culture of denial among the ruling elites and authorities – the majority of which are Arab-Berber – any attempts to raise awareness of the practice are stifled. In addition, no Haratin option exists on national census forms, and traditional indications of slavery, such as shackles, are not visible, as the slavery exists in slavery-like practices including modern serfdom, debt bondage and domestic servitude.
Even in cases where Haratin slaves have secured their freedom, they often continue to be economically, culturally and psychologically dependent on their former masters. They are regularly discriminated against and often have limited access to economic opportunities or basic services such as education and healthcare and are the poorest fraction of Mauritania’s population. This perpetuates the widespread belief in Mauritania and the region that the Haratin are inferior to their Arab-Berber counterparts.
Biram Abeid, the recipient of the UN Human Rights Prize from the Secretar- General Ban Ki-moon in 2013, and the founder of IRA (the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania) decided to run for the Mauritanian Presidenial elections in June 2014. Critics accused him of inciting racial tensions, but for him, it was an opportunity to start a nation-wide debate about slavery and racism. According to Biram Abeid, “We are the only ones to have a different ideological position /…/ We are fighting against slavery, against racism, against government waste and against corruption. The true opposition, it’s us!”
To the dismay of UNPO, not a single Election Observer monitored the last elections in Mauritania, simply a result of the invitation having been sent out too late, according to High Representative of the EU, Catherine Ashton.
Through demonstrations, sit-ins, hunger strikes, marches, and general dissemination of information at home and abroad, IRA attempts to free slaves and pressure the Mauritanian Government to hold slave owners accountable for their crime.
In early 2014, UNPO jointly developed a project with the IRA, consisting of a vocational program to help former women slaves to start their own businesses. The project displayed extremely promising results, and hopes to expand its outreach and scope of activities to become a permanent institution.
During a fact-finding mission, UNPO also gave a four-hour training in human rights and advocacy to 25 IRA members. The training focused on practical information about human rights, including how to use it for political activism.
