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Mauritania - People

The U.S. government estimates the total population at 3.6 million (July 2015 estimate). Islam is the official religion of Mauritania. Arabic is the official language, while Hassaniyan Arabic, Pular, Soninke and Wolof have the status of national languages. Demographically, Mauritania is young, with 70% of the population under the age of 29. Unemployment runs at 32%. The government has made recent efforts to support training in technical fields with a focus on youth. President Aziz campaigned as the “President of the Poor,” vowing to stop the rampant corruption and serious abuses that characterized the past 30 years of Mauritania’s history.

Against the background of its ethnic, linguistic and culturally diverse populace, consisting of mainly Arab Berbers (also known as “Moors”), black Africans (including the Pular, Soninke and Wolof) and the Haratine peoples (also called referred to as “black Moors”, who are black by skin color, but an integral part of the Moorish ethnic group), Mauritania has a shared language and culture, although societal stratification along ethnic lines and community groups still persists and translates into functional and practical power structures.

Mauritania is made up of two major cultural and ethno–linguistic groups: the Arab– Berber peoples, commonly referred to as Moors, largely nomadic and inhabiting mostly the north of the country; and the black African population, made up of Pular, Soninke and Wolof, mostly settled and inhabiting the south and east of the country. In addition to these two large groups, there is a Haratine community, also called the black Moors, who are black African by skin color, but an integral part of the Moorish ethnic group, whose language and culture they share.

Somre early incidents revolved around other components of the "question nationale," the very important issue of the constitution of Mauritanian society. On the 4th of January 1966, black students in Nouakchott lycees protested with a strike the imposition of mandatory Arabic in secondary schools, arguing that this unfairly discriminated against those Mauritanians who had other native languages and disadvantaged them in terms of access to education. The protests attracted the attention of local intellectuals, who issued the Manifesto of 19 (signatories) in February. The issues raised in the manifesto were identical to those that had been raised by the UOMS (Union des Qriginaires de la Mauritanie du Sud) in 1957, which had protested against French-Maure collusion in negotiating for the soon-to-be-independent state what is considered to be second-class citizenship for Mauritanian blacks on obviously racist grounds. New strikes occurred in 1979 when the amount of mandatory Arabic was increased, and two people were killed. In October 1980 the government officially recognized the languages spoken by black Mauritanians and set up an Institute of National Languages to prepare for the introduction of these languages into the school system.

An estimated 10% to 20% of the population lives in slavery. Mauritanian society is highly stratified along ethnic and racial lines. In the black African communities, noble and freemen are at the top, followed by “casted” groups (usually occupational and endogamous groups such as blacksmiths and musicians), with slaves and their descendants coming at the very bottom. Slavery in the black African community is less frequently talked about because it takes the form of social stratification. It is also less easy to identify slavery because it occurs within a homogeneous racial group unlike slavery within the Moor community.

The elite white Moors (Berber Arabs) control the economy and the vast majority of the administrative State, including the Government, the military and the police. Historically they raided, enslaved and assimilated people from sedentary black ethnic groups along the Senegal River. Today this assimilated group of people is also called the black Moors. Following the 1905 law abolishing slavery in Mauritania, the black Moors gradually started being freed and were commonly referred to as Haratine.

The word “Haratine” is derived from the Arabic word for freedom, as they are perceived by the rest of society as freed slaves. The Haratine continue to suffer discrimination, marginalization and exclusion due to their membership of a “slave caste” and are the ethnic group most associated with slavery in Mauritania today. In many cases, the Haratine, even if freed, continue to serve their masters because they are economically, culturally and psychologically attached to them and they see no other viable option. Whether freed or still enslaved (abid), black Moors are referred to as Haratine.

In a vast country, much of which is desert, it is extremely difficult for slaves to run away and leave their “families”. The Haratines who flee their masters go and live in Adwabas, slave descendant camps, or shanty towns based outside major cities. The former slaves become the poorest in society with limited access to basic services such as education and economic opportunities. They often end up doing service jobs and other lowly jobs in urban centres. In some instances, former female slaves end up working in urban areas as domestic workers for relatives of their former masters or in sex work. In other cases, former female slaves set up some small businesses selling items such as couscous or mint. Former male slaves end up working as porters or night watchmen.

Several attempts have been made to abolish slavery in Mauritania over the past century. Order No. 081-234 of 9 November 1981 on the abolition of slavery in Mauritania was crucial, despite its vague definition of slavery (namely, not including reference to slavery-like practices) and its lack of implementation, given that it was conceived as a single measure without enabling factors and/or any transposing regulation.

In accordance with sharia law, compensation for the abolition of slavery would be provided to rightful claimants (namely, slave owners). The compensation scheme was to be decided by a commission composed of ulemas (Islamic scholars), economists and administrators; no legal or practical measures were however adopted, which rendered the law de facto ineffective.

Slavery was officially abolished in Mauritania in 1981, and holding slaves was criminalized in 2007. Officially, slavery no longer exists. The Hratine, the main slave caste, are descendents of black African ethnic groups subjugated for the most part by white Arab Berbers. Estimates indicate that 10-20 percent of Mauretania's 3.5 million people are slaves, though exact numbers are hard to come by. They are their masters' property and live to do their masters' biding - as do their children, who are often the result of a master's rape. Escape from slavery is rare and often a solo endeavor, requiring a near perfect set of events to randomly unfold. Slave's responsibilities include grazing their masters' camels and goats, preparing meals, and fetching wood and water. Simple mistakes would be punished with the lash of a whip.

Mauritania is deeply divided along ethnic lines. White Arab Berbers make up the majority of the ruling class and hold a tight grip on the reigns of power. Since slave-masters tend to come from the same ethnic group, officials rarely intervene against them. Mauritanian society was traditionally organized into clans - large extended families - with the clans divided into various castes. Occupations were hereditary: Islamic scholars, musicians, artisans and workers of various kinds, domestic and agricultural slaves - everyone inherited their roles and their social status. In theory, the system no longer exists, but in practice it's still very much alive and quite difficult to escape.

The problem has three elements. First, though there are laws against slavery, they're scarcely enforced. Second, many Mauritanians are illiterate or live in remote rural settings, and have no knowledge of their legal rights. Third, and perhaps most difficult to overcome: People who leave their clans to escape their hereditary status have few real options. They often move to one of Mauritania's towns, where they're shunned. No one gives them work or lends them money to start a business. They live in poverty on the margins of society.

On 27 February 2014 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on slavery, Gulnara Shahinian, today hailed Mauritania’s commitment and progress in the fight against slavery, but called on the authorities “to take more vigorous measures to eliminate slavery and to fully implement the laws and policies.” Shahinian's call comes at the end of a follow-up official visit to the country to assess new developments and the initiatives taken by the Mauritanian authorities in response to her previous recommendations.

“I commend the Government of Mauritania for the measures taken since my last mission in 2009 and for its commitment to ending slavery in the country,” said the independent expert designated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise on the use of contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences in the world."

Shahinian noted that a number of legislative efforts launched in 2011 towards securing the rights of housemaids and domestic workers are an important element in the fight against slavery, but highlighted that “concerted action is required to fully realize their human rights.”