U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Backgrounder: Mauritania

By USCRI March 15, 2021

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) presents the following backgrounder on the humanitarian crises in Mauritania as of March 10, 2021. Information and maps are from various sources and not the original work of USCRI.

Mauritania was the last country in the world to abolish slavery, and only criminalized the practice in 2007. However, the practice remains prevalent today, based on a caste system of white Beydane masters and black Haratin slaves. Haratins experience discrimination and persecution in all areas of life, from political participation, to education, to citizenship. Despite the efforts of anti-slavery activists in the country, the government denies that slavery exists and fails to implement meaningful human rights reforms. Even Black Mauritanians who are not enslaved are subjected to systemic discrimination and persecution in all areas of life, from citizenship, to land ownership, to access to education and healthcare.

Read the full report: https://refugees.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Mauritania-Backgrounder-3.11.21.pdf


Related Posts

The 2023 Global Refugee Forum

From December 13 to 15, the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) will be held in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the largest...

READ FULL STORY

USCRI Supports UK Court Ruling...

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) agrees with the recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United...

READ FULL STORY

November 16: International Day for...

By: Rosalind Ghafar Rogers, PhD, LMHC, Clinical Behavioral Health Subject Matter Expert with USCRI’s Refugee Health Services in Arlington, VA...

READ FULL STORY