African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Rules Mauritania Violated Charter in Slavery Case (December 15, 2017) [1]
On December 15, 2017, theĀ African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) published its judgment [3] in Decision on the Communication Submitted by Minority Rights Group International and SOS-Enclaves on Behalf of Said Ould Salem and Yarg Ould Salem against the Government of the Republic of Mauritania. The case concerned two brothers who were forced into slavery by a local household as children, abused, and deprived of an education for eleven years. The Committee found that under the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Mauritania had violated the rights of brothers when it failed to prevent the violations, adequately prosecute and punish the slave owners, and provide a timely remedy for the children. As noted in the press release [4], the Committee recommended that Mauritania take a number of steps to ensure those responsible for the enslavement are prosecuted; assist the brothers with rehabilitation, education, and compensation; and take steps on the national level to eliminate slavery within the state.