UN Report: Mauritania Model in Sub-Region in Fight Against Slavery

The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery has released a report in which he welcomed the great progress made by Mauritania in the field of the fight against slavery in all its forms, considering that our countryis a model in the sub-region in the field of the fight against ”Contemporary Forms of Slavery”.

In this regard, the Commission for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action, and Relations with Civil Society issued a press release in which it indicates that “it has received a copy of the final report of Mr. Tomoya Obokata, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery including the causes and consequences relating to the working visit he paid to our country from 4 to 13 May 2022.

In the report published today, the Special Rapporteur referred to the conclusions he reached on the progress made by our country in the field of the fight against contemporary forms of slavery, after having assessed the information and the documents,

and following the field visit he conducted and the numerous meetings with various governmental and non-governmental actors.

The Special Rapporteur recognized the significant progress made by our country in the field of the fight against slavery in all its forms, welcoming the valuable efforts that have been made to strengthen the repression of the phenomenon within the framework of criminal justice, build the capacities of the actors, and raise their awareness of anti-slavery legislation.

Mr. Obokata also appreciated the recent efforts made by the government after his visit to the country, particularly the consolidation of the rejection of the culture of denial, the efforts to raise awareness, the revitalization of the National Authority for the Fight against

trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, the establishment of the Special Fund for Assistance to Victims of Slavery and Human Trafficking, and the establishment of the Ministerial Committee responsible for monitoring the Government’s efforts in the area of the fight against the trafficking and smuggling of immigrants and the technical committee responsible for monitoring the implementation of the recommendations issued by the Special Rapporteur.

The Special Rapporteur concluded that Mauritania had taken significant steps to combat slavery and similar practices, and had continuously strengthened its legal framework to combat it, saying this framework, in its current version, should serve as a model for other countries of the region and beyond.

Its institutional framework for combating slavery has also been improved.

This is how more government agencies were newly created or had their prerogatives strengthened.

He explained that Mauritania is also committed to ending forced labor, child labor, trafficking, and contemporary forms of slavery, as a leading country in the framework of the international coalition on the matter known as

8.7.

In the same context, the Special Rapporteur noted the existence of certain gaps, as is the case in most countries, and recommended that measures be taken to complete and strengthen the implementation of existing anti-slavery legislation to take full advantage of the achievements made so far.

These recommendations will be taken into consideration by the government.

The Special Rapporteur concluded his report by saying: “Mauritania has the potential to serve as a model for other countries seeking to eradicate and overcome slavery and its legacies, but it must maintain the momentum and make full use of

all the tools at its disposal.”

It should be noted that the visit of the Special Rapporteur is part of a positive interaction with the various international mechanisms for the protection of human rights, in general, and United Nations procedures, in particular.

It is also part of the consolidation of the climate of openness and constructive dialogue with the various actors, the foundations of which were laid by His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic, since he

took power, which has resulted in remarkable progress in the area of the promotion and protection of human rights.

In conclusion, this visit confirmed that our country is considered a model in the sub-region in the fight against contemporary forms of slavery.

This has been affirmed by the Special Rapporteur on more than one occasion, indicating that Mauritania can play an important regional role in the fight against contemporary forms of slavery”.