Human slavery
not only exists in the tiny African country of Mauritania but is actually
"flourishing," said a leading anti-slavery activist on Thursday.
"Thousands upon
thousands" of Black Africans in the country still live as "property,"
said Boubacar Ould Messaoud, on a speaking tour sponsored by the American
Friends Service Committee (AFSC).
He said the situation
is even more critical because many former slaves still suffer because
of a psychological or economic dependence on their former masters.
Amnesty International
estimated that in 1994 about 90,000 Black Africans still lived as
"property" in Mauritania, a nation of 2.3 million people. Amnesty
noted that approximately 300,000 freed slaves continue to serve their
former masters because of ongoing dependency.
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