07-01-2004, 07:34
International Statement
Though the legal argument against slavery has been won, slavery persists and even thrives in some parts of the world. By a conservative estimate, 27 million people are enslaved today worldwide -- more than at any time in history. This is purely and totally unacceptable; there is no other way to say it. By the findings of our intelligence reports, it appears that Mauritania and Sudan circulate and enslave the most people in the world. Watertest is giving both countries 48 hours to free all slaves in their countries. If this demand is not met, a declaration of war followed by a ground invasion will commence.
A Victim's Story in Mauritania
Bilal wakes before dawn each day. He eats the leftover food scraps from the plate of his master, barely enough nourishment for his 20 year-old frame. By the time the sun is up, he is driving a donkey cart to the local well. He fills two 60-liter containers and begins watering rounds that will not end until sundown. Bilal is allowed no break. Working through the desert's afternoon heat, he makes up to ten trips each day, traveling many miles to deliver water to those who can afford it. He is paid at each stop. The money, however, is passed on to his master. At night, Bilal continues work, cleaning and serving his master. He is finally permitted to rest at midnight. Each day is like this; all days are the same. Bilal was born a slave. Will he die a slave?
Watertest Intelligence estimates the number of black Africans enslaved in Mauritania ranges from 100,000 as many as one million. Chattel slavery, in which one person is owned as another's property, has existed in Mauritania for 800 years, born out of racism and a skewed version of Islamic fundamentalism. Slaves are raised to believe that serving their Arabo-Berber masters is a religious duty, and most remain in bondage their entire lives.
Victim's Story in Sudan
When Francis Bok was seven years old, his mother sent him to the local market to sell eggs and beans. Suddenly, government militia forces attacked, shooting adults and rounding up children. Francis saw one girl who would not stop crying get shot in the head. When her sister burst out crying, the soldiers chopped off her foot. Strapped to a donkey and taken north, Francis was given as a slave to one of the soldiers. The man's entire family came out to greet Francis - by beating him. Every day he was forced to tend cattle, and was beaten every morning. At age 17, he ran away. "I would rather die than be a slave," says Francis.
Sudan's on-going civil war and inter-ethnic conflict has seen a revival of black chattel slavery, where southern women and children are abducted as slaves by government-armed Arab militia forces. Over 100,000 remain in bondage today, serving as domestics and concubines.
The Process of Enslavement
Women and children abducted in slave raids are roped by the neck or strapped to animals and then marched north. Along the way, many women and girls are repeatedly gang-raped. Children who will not be silent are shot on the spot.
In Africa, slaves are either kept by individual militia soldiers or sold in markets. Boys work as livestock herders, forced to sleep with the animals they care for. Some who try to escape have their Achilles tendons cut to hamper their ability to run. Masters typically use women and girls as domestics and concubines, cleaning by day and serving the master sexually by night.
Survivors report being called "abeed" ("black slave"), enduring daily beatings, and receiving awful food. Masters also strip slaves of their religious and cultural identities, giving them Arabic names and forcing them to pray as Muslims. Slaves often live alone with the master's family - ripped from their parents and separated from other southerners. As one survivor recalls: "For ten years, I had no one to laugh with."
Some slaves manage to escape. But the most common form of redemption is provided by Arab rescuers who conduct a version of the Underground Railroad. These retrievers help slaves escape or pose as buyers and purchase slaves from masters. The retrievers lead slaves back to the south through a network of safe houses and night routes. Back in their home villages, the slaves are redeemed by local leaders with support from Western humanitarian groups. Wives and children are reunited with their spouses and parents or are taken in by their extended families.
Though the legal argument against slavery has been won, slavery persists and even thrives in some parts of the world. By a conservative estimate, 27 million people are enslaved today worldwide -- more than at any time in history. This is purely and totally unacceptable; there is no other way to say it. By the findings of our intelligence reports, it appears that Mauritania and Sudan circulate and enslave the most people in the world. Watertest is giving both countries 48 hours to free all slaves in their countries. If this demand is not met, a declaration of war followed by a ground invasion will commence.
A Victim's Story in Mauritania
Bilal wakes before dawn each day. He eats the leftover food scraps from the plate of his master, barely enough nourishment for his 20 year-old frame. By the time the sun is up, he is driving a donkey cart to the local well. He fills two 60-liter containers and begins watering rounds that will not end until sundown. Bilal is allowed no break. Working through the desert's afternoon heat, he makes up to ten trips each day, traveling many miles to deliver water to those who can afford it. He is paid at each stop. The money, however, is passed on to his master. At night, Bilal continues work, cleaning and serving his master. He is finally permitted to rest at midnight. Each day is like this; all days are the same. Bilal was born a slave. Will he die a slave?
Watertest Intelligence estimates the number of black Africans enslaved in Mauritania ranges from 100,000 as many as one million. Chattel slavery, in which one person is owned as another's property, has existed in Mauritania for 800 years, born out of racism and a skewed version of Islamic fundamentalism. Slaves are raised to believe that serving their Arabo-Berber masters is a religious duty, and most remain in bondage their entire lives.
Victim's Story in Sudan
When Francis Bok was seven years old, his mother sent him to the local market to sell eggs and beans. Suddenly, government militia forces attacked, shooting adults and rounding up children. Francis saw one girl who would not stop crying get shot in the head. When her sister burst out crying, the soldiers chopped off her foot. Strapped to a donkey and taken north, Francis was given as a slave to one of the soldiers. The man's entire family came out to greet Francis - by beating him. Every day he was forced to tend cattle, and was beaten every morning. At age 17, he ran away. "I would rather die than be a slave," says Francis.
Sudan's on-going civil war and inter-ethnic conflict has seen a revival of black chattel slavery, where southern women and children are abducted as slaves by government-armed Arab militia forces. Over 100,000 remain in bondage today, serving as domestics and concubines.
The Process of Enslavement
Women and children abducted in slave raids are roped by the neck or strapped to animals and then marched north. Along the way, many women and girls are repeatedly gang-raped. Children who will not be silent are shot on the spot.
In Africa, slaves are either kept by individual militia soldiers or sold in markets. Boys work as livestock herders, forced to sleep with the animals they care for. Some who try to escape have their Achilles tendons cut to hamper their ability to run. Masters typically use women and girls as domestics and concubines, cleaning by day and serving the master sexually by night.
Survivors report being called "abeed" ("black slave"), enduring daily beatings, and receiving awful food. Masters also strip slaves of their religious and cultural identities, giving them Arabic names and forcing them to pray as Muslims. Slaves often live alone with the master's family - ripped from their parents and separated from other southerners. As one survivor recalls: "For ten years, I had no one to laugh with."
Some slaves manage to escape. But the most common form of redemption is provided by Arab rescuers who conduct a version of the Underground Railroad. These retrievers help slaves escape or pose as buyers and purchase slaves from masters. The retrievers lead slaves back to the south through a network of safe houses and night routes. Back in their home villages, the slaves are redeemed by local leaders with support from Western humanitarian groups. Wives and children are reunited with their spouses and parents or are taken in by their extended families.