Gulnara Shahinian
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – The UN special rappoteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Mrs Gulnara Shahinian, is expected today in Nouakchott for a four-day visit to Mauritania where slavery persists despite several bills against the practice.
The dehumanising phenomenon remains at the centre of a huge disagreement between the Mauritanian authorities and anti-slavery NGOs, who have denounced the absence of political will to eradicate it.
During a previous mission, the UN special rappoteur found the persistence in Mauritania of contemporary forms of slavery .
This new visit will enable Mrs Shahinian to continue to dialogue with the Mauritanian authorities in an effort to adopt a movement to eradicate slavery from the country.
The attainment of that goal would be an important step to end domestic slavery in the country.
In that respect, Mrs Shahinian will, in addition to government authorities, meet the country’s civil society organizations. The outcome and recommendations of her visit will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September.
