The Mauritanian government officially abolished slavery in 1981, but there are still an estimated 155,000 people who are indentured as modern day slaves.
Many of those who have been set free in recent years continue to face widespread discrimination, violence and social injustice.
Click here to see IRIN's photo feature on some former female slaves, known as the Haratines, who are now speaking out about their lives, then and now.
jl
Help us be the transformation we’d like to see in the news industry
The current journalistic model is broken: Audiences are demanding that the hierarchical, elite-led system of news-gathering and presentation be dismantled in favour of a more inclusive and holistic model based on more equitable access to information and more nuanced and diverse narratives.
The business model is also broken, with many media going bankrupt during the pandemic – despite their information being more valuable than ever – because of a dependence on advertisers.
Finally, exploitative and extractive practices have long been commonplace in media and other businesses.
We think there is a better way. We want to build something different.
Our new five-year strategy outlines how we will do so. It is an ambitious vision to become a transformative newsroom – and one that we need your support to achieve.
Become a member of The New Humanitarian by making a regular contribution to our work - and help us deliver on our new strategy.
