181:(the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery), she states "There are all forms of slavery in Mauritania. There is child labor, domestic labor, child marriages and human trafficking." and she estimates that roughly 18 percent of Mauritania's current population of around 3.5 million people are enslaved as of 2009.
177:(UNPO), Mauritania passed a 2007 law that criminalized the possession of slaves as well as making special provisions and rules for the payment of slaves via their masters. This law, however, did not deter the owning and trading of slaves in Mauritania, and in an independent report from a United Nations independent expert,
161:
of
Mauritania, it was declared that France would help put an end to the continued use of slavery in 1905. The colonial power however, neglected to enforce such a decree and it was officially outlawed in 1981, making It the last nation in the world to make such a law.
133:
Within
Mauritanian society, there remains minority of control of the country, with the Beidane (White Moors) controlling the national economy as well as a significant majority of the state including but not limited to the government, military, and the police force.
70:
by the Bidān people to refer to themselves. The name used by outsiders to refer to the
Beydane is Moors from which the country of Mauritania derives its name from the Latin designation of their inhabitants (Mauri) as the Bidan form the majority of the population.
137:
Since there is no ethnicity data on the
Mauritanian census, the government has reported that the majority of the population (the 70% consisting of Beidane and Haratine peoples) as
126:(Black Moors) make up roughly 40 percent of the population and constitute the ethnic plurality. (The remaining 30 percent are "Sub-Saharan Mauritanians," according to the 2023
174:
165:
However, the nation has a long and extensive history of enslavement, with the
Beidane (White Moor) peoples historically ruling over the black moor population.
74:"Moor" is not the term for a specific ethnic group, but rather the term used by the European Christians in reference to the Arab populations that hailed from
482:
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192:, where they continue to be socio-economically dependent on the Beidane "masters" due to their position within the societal hierarchy.
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The
Beidane people comprise roughly 30 percent of the population, making them the largest ethnic minority.
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145:." However, while most Beidane peoples would associate themselves with the term, the majority of
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While slavery has officially been abolished by law in 1981, many
Mauritanians, specifically the
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would distance themselves from the term as they consider themselves a separate ethnic group.
46:, which refers to those with a darker complexion or black moors. The beidane, who are of mixed
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106:". This was largely used to refer to the peoples of the entire Arab Islamic empire, mostly by
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418:"Mauritania's Unfolding Landscape: Elections, Hydrocarbons and Socio-Economic Change"
317:"Mauritania's Unfolding Landscape: Elections, Hydrocarbons and Socio-Economic Change"
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291:"Mauritania: Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery"
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to the north. The term largely fell out of use after the Middle Ages.
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62:. Al-Bidān (which literally translates to "Land of the whites") is an
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102:. Another term used in reference to Arabs at this time was "
341:"Slavery in Mauritania: The Long Road to Real Emancipation"
365:"UNPO: Haratin: Slavery Remains a Problem in Mauritania"
212:
A Political and
Economic Dictionary of the Middle East
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majority, remain stuck in a "slave limbo" similar to
58:'s population. The language of the Beidane is
175:Unrepresented Nations and People Organization
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391:International, Anti-Slavery (2009-11-03).
273:, Central Intelligence Agency, 2023-04-26
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38:to refer to lighter-skinned or white
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82:period and took control of parts of
393:"UN confirms slavery in Mauritania"
169:Continued Slavery in the Modern Era
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339:Kharroub, Tamara (25 July 2019).
26:, also spelled Baydan or Beydan (
1:
483:Ethnic groups in North Africa
34:), is an Arabic term used in
98:, and the southern part of
66:used within Mauritania and
54:ancestry, represent 30% of
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397:Anti-Slavery International
215:. Routledge. p. 431.
42:, in contrast to the term
345:Arab Center Washington DC
488:Arabic words and phrases
141:which means "speaker of
130:entry on Mauritania.)
241:Encyclopedia Britannica
157:During French colonial
237:"Bīdān Moor - people"
209:David Seddon (2013).
416:Melly, Paul (2019).
315:Melly, Paul (2019).
190:indentured servitude
271:The World Factbook
128:CIA World Factbook
118:Societal hierarchy
222:978-1-135-35562-3
179:Gulnara Shahinian
173:According to the
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143:Hassaniya Arabic
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297:. 2010-09-20
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267:"Mauritania"
244:. Retrieved
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76:North Africa
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16:Ethnic group
295:www.ilo.org
467:Categories
457:See also:
402:2023-05-02
374:2023-05-02
350:2023-05-02
301:2023-05-02
277:2023-05-02
196:References
159:occupation
110:and other
56:Mauritania
36:Mauritania
147:Haratines
124:Haratines
112:Europeans
453:See also
369:unpo.org
186:Haratine
108:Italians
92:Portugal
80:medieval
44:Haratine
473:Maghreb
153:Slavery
104:Saracen
78:in the
64:endonym
20:Beidane
246:17 Apr
219:
139:Maure,
100:France
88:Sicily
52:Berber
28:Arabic
433:Notes
96:Spain
84:Malta
40:Moors
32:بيضان
24:Bidān
248:2023
217:ISBN
50:and
48:Arab
22:or
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