Niger is a large, landlocked West African country and one of
the poorest nations in the world. Around two-thirds of the population
live below the poverty line and life expectancy is just 45 years.
Two thirds of the land is desert and the climate is dry and harsh.
Most people are engaged in farming and cattle rearing, and many
are nomadic.
Slavery is part of Niger's history, and is found among different
ethnic groups. In the past, people were bought and sold openly
or kidnapped in raids or as the spoils of war, and their children
were then born into slavery. While under French colonial rule,
measures were taken to combat the more overt practices of slave
trading and slave markets, but there was limited success in tackling
the system of slavery itself. After gaining independence in 1960,
the ruling elite, who included many from the slave-owning classes,
remained silent about a practice that it was in their interest
to protect.
Through the late 1980s and 1990s there was a great deal of turbulence
throughout the country. Workers' strikes, student demonstrations
and the rebel Tuareg movement all called for reform. After being
ruled under a military regime for most of the independent era,
democracy was fully restored in 1999. In this more open context,
Timidria has been leading a growing section of society to speak
out against slavery and related discrimination.
Despite being prohibited under the 1999 Constitution and the
Penal Code, many people remain in various forms of slavery. People
are born into slavery, and are forced to work without pay for
their so-called masters throughout their lives, primarily herding
cattle, working on farmland or as domestic servants. Born into
slavery, children become the property of their masters and can
be passed from one slave owner to another as gifts or as part
of a dowry. Girls are forced to start work as domestic servants
at a very young age and are at the continual beck and call of
their masters. Girls may be sexually abused by men in the household
or forced to marry at a young age.
The true scale of slavery became clear last year, after Timidria
carried out extensive research, supported by Anti-Slavery International.
In this, the first national survey on slavery, over 11,000 people
were interviewed, most of whom were identified as slaves. The
research establishes that a minimum of 43,000 people are in slavery
across the country.
Slaves are owned and controlled by their masters, receiving a
meagre amount of food and a place to sleep in return for their
labour. The master decides who a slave marries and whether their
children go to school. Many of those interviewed in the survey
had also been subjected to violence, rape, degrading treatment
and threats.
People who are viewed as coming from the slave class also face
ongoing discrimination. Masters consider that they own their slaves,
so even when former slaves have been free for many years, the
master will assume the right to approve their marriage or inherit
their property. Slaves are also not on the electoral roll and
so not entitled to vote. This political exclusion enables those
in power to maintain the status quo and is an immediate
concern given the upcoming elections.
Asibit
Asibit's experience is typical of many former slaves in Niger.
She was a slave for 50 years. She was born a slave, her mother,
husband and children were all slaves. She had to work all day
from early in the morning, preparing food for the master and his
family, milking camels, collecting water and firewood, and doing
all the household chores. She had to move her master's heavy tent
four times a day so he and the mistress remained sitting in the
shade.
Asibit escaped on 28 June 2004, walking 30 kilometres to freedom.
She says of her experience:
"We were never paid, I was only given one tenth of the
camel milk and leftovers. I have never known happiness until this
month of freedom. Now I can go to bed when I want, no one insults
me. Now that I am free, I can live as I please."
Timidria is now helping Asibit adjust to freedom and has also
secured the release of her mother and daughter.
Challenges and achievements
Timidria is challenging a widespread silence and implicit acceptance
of slavery. Many see slavery as a cultural phenomenon that only
exists today as a hangover from the past, which provides structure
to society and a way of life to people who, they claim, know no
other way to survive. It is also still very much a taboo subject
in Niger, and Timidria has met strong resistance and intimidation
from the slave owning classes, both in the state administration
and the traditional chieftain system.
As a result, the organisation has faced a constant battle to
have slavery recognised as a genuine problem in Niger. Despite
this, Timidria has made genuine changes in people's perceptions
of slavery. Following the publication of the joint research report
last year, the Government amended the Penal Code to define, prohibit
and punish slavery with sentences of up to 30 years imprisonment.
This is a great achievement after sustained campaigning by Timidria.
The challenge now is to ensure that the new law is properly applied
and that integration programmes are put in place to help thousands
of survivors of slavery to rebuild their lives. Education and
training programmes need to be carried out among the public, law
enforcement officials, and the wider administration.
Timidria recognises that slavery and discrimination exist in
a context of extreme poverty. Development agencies need to consider
how their efforts to combat poverty can have a greater impact
on eradicating slavery. Timidria hopes that other African countries
will follow the example of Niger in taking the necessary steps,
such as legal reform, to eradicate slavery wherever it exists.
Timidria