Why does slavery still exist today in Mauritania in 2006?
Well, first you have to realize that there’s no such place as a slave market in Mauritania- the phenomenon is much more subtle. Slavery has been legally abolished three times, but the government doesn’t enforce its own laws because it is afraid of offending the powerful Moorish slave owners. They try to keep the matter hushed up because they fear Mauritania’s image would be damaged if the real situation came to light. As for the slaves themselves, they are raised with the idea that being a slave is part of their religious duty. Besides, if they left their masters, where would they go? They are uneducated and there are no social services to help them. Even the free descendents of slaves remain Mauritania’s most under-privileged class. Much still remains to be done before these citizens can enjoy full equality. Why did you become an anti-slavery activist? Why didn’t you just accept the status quo? I did not grow up in Mauritania. I’ve spent only 8 years there, and I’ve moved around quite
