Mauritania’s second review – 23rd session – 3 November 2015

Mauritania had its second review on the 3rd November 2015. As a final outcome of the review, Uganda recommended Mauritania to abolish the caste system that “continues to promote de facto slavery through domestic servitude and bondage or forced labour”.

The United Kingdom recommended for the government to take action to “identify and release people in slavery, support victims and end discrimination, in particular discrimination based on caste or ethnicity. As part of this, the Government should formally acknowledge the continued existence of slavery; and begin to collect detailed data on the number of people held in slavery to facilitate monitoring of eradication efforts under the 2007 anti-slavery law”.

In the final Report of the UPR Working Group, none of these recommendations enjoyed the support of the Mauritanian Government.

Mauritania’s first review – 10th session – 10 November 2010

Mauritania was reviewed for the first time by the UPR Working Group at the 10th UPR session on 10 November 2010.

As a final outcome of the review (A/HRC/16/17), Israel and Ecuador recommended to abolish the caste system.

B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review

  • 57. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed progress in combating discrimination, particularly the law criminalizing slavery and slavery-like practices, while noting concern about the effective implementation of the anti-slavery legislation and the continued existence of caste-based slavery. Welcoming efforts to mainstream gender equality and the national strategy for eliminating female genital mutilation, it expressed concern about torture, prison conditions, violence against women and gender-based discrimination, including reported trafficking in women and girls; the continued practice of early marriage and forced feeding (gavage); child trafficking and the prevalence of child labour. It called on Mauritania to ensure access for detainees to independent and effective legal remedies. It made recommendations.
  • 92. The following recommendations will be examined by Mauritania, which will provide responses in due course, but no later than the 16th session of the Human Rights Council, in March 2011. The responses of Mauritania to these recommendations will be included in the outcome report adopted by the Council at its 16th session:
  • 92.35. Eradicate in law and in practice all forms of discrimination, including traditional slavery, the caste system, the racial and ethnic paradigm in State institutions and the use of ethnicity as a political tool, as noted by the Special Rapporteur on racism, and develop a national strategy on slavery, as recommended by the Special Rapporteur on slavery (Israel); (not accepted)
  • 92.38. Adopt the measures necessary to abolish the caste system, given that, in many cases, it is conducive to the enduring existence of various forms of slavery (Ecuador); (not accepted)