மௌரிட்டானியா: இரண்டு குழந்தைகளை அடிமைகளாக வைத்திருந்ததற்காக இருவர் கைது

முகம்மது ஓல்ட் நபி என்பவரும் அவரது தாயாரும் ஒரு 16 வயது கருப்பின சிறுமியையும் 14 வயது சிறுவனையும் 10 வருடங்களுக்கு மேலாக அடிமையாக வைத்திருந்ததற்காக கைது செய்யப்பட்டார்கள்

1981இலேயே அடிமைமுறை ஒழிக்கப்பட்டதாக மௌரிட்டானியா அறிவித்திருந்தாலும் அது சட்டப்பூர்வமாக தடுக்கபப்டவில்லை. தற்போது அடிமைமுறை எதிர்ப்பாளர்களது கட்டயத்தின் பேரில் அது சட்டப்பூர்வமாக தடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது

அதன் விளைவாக முதலாவது கைது இந்த கைது.

அடிமை முறை ஒழிந்து மௌரிட்டானிய கருப்பினத்தவர் தங்கள் சொந்த நிலங்களிலெயே அரபுகளுக்கு அடிமைகளாக வாழும் நிலை ஒழிந்து சம உரிமையுடன் வாழ பிரார்த்திப்போம்.



2 Arrested for Slavery in Mauritania
By AHMED MOHAMED – 1 day ago

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — Two Mauritanians have been arrested for allegedly forcing two children to work as slaves — the first suspects to face prosecution for a practice that many in this African country consider part of the culture, authorities said Wednesday.

The mother of the children — a 16-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy — said she had been seeking their release since she fled captivity herself more than 10 years ago.

"I fled my masters because I couldn't bear to be enslaved my whole life, even at the cost of being separated from my two children," said Tarba Mint M'Boirik, standing between her children at an event organized by the SOS Slavery rights group.

Mohamed Ould Nobi, 51, and his 85-year-old mother, Marieme Mint Kneiba, were arrested Monday for allegedly forcing the two children to work without pay in Guerrou, a town about 600 miles east of the capital of Nouakchott, local police Commissioner Henoun Ould Ahmed said.

Authorities said they were the first suspects to be arrested on such charges in Mauritania, where slavery is embraced in traditional songs and proverbs. In some cases, families of both owners and slaves have lived together and accepted the master-servant relationship for decades.

Although slavery has been banned in Mauritania since 1981, it was not established as a crime punishable by prison time until August. Slaveholders now face up to 10 years in prison and fines.

Still, the two were being held not on charges of slaveholding, but on lesser charges of infringing on children's rights and depriving them of a right to education, SOS Slavery head Boubacar Ould Messaoud said. He urged the government to charge them under the new anti-slavery law.

"We want the effective application of this new law ... the government needs to take action to eradicate slavery," the rights group leader said.

Others in Mauritania defended the justice system for being cautious.

"If the justices open the door for charges of slavery, there's a risk that it will never end," said Mohammed Ould Hmeyada, a sociology professor and Nouakchott University.

Messaoud, himself a former slave, said the two children were made to tend animals and work in fields without pay or the chance to go to school.

It was not immediately clear when Nobi and Kneiba might stand trial, Deputy Attorney General Ahmed Ould Abdallahi said.

Mauritania has become more open about slavery after a 2005 coup overthrew longtime President Maaoya Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya. In May 2006, the head of the junta declared slavery a problem, marking a sharp break from years of denials by Taya that the practice persisted at all.

The newly elected president has said eradicating slavery is a priority for his government.

(This version CORRECTS that the boy's age was 14, not 10.)