Presentation SALY GENEVE, Forum on Minority Issues, 24-25 November 2015 Minorities in the criminal justice system Statement by Salimata Lam, Coordinator at SOS-Slaves, Mauritanian organisation combating enslavement 1. About the organisation I am an activist, a human rights defender, and I represent here SOS-Slaves, a human rights association in Mauritania that is fighting to eradicate enslavement in general, and slavery by descent in particular, which has been rampant in Mauritania for centuries, as well as all human rights violations. Our organisation is a member of various networks of human rights defenders such as FONADH, RPC, the Mauritanian coalition PCQVP, the network for the eradication of slavery by descent in Africa, the OMCT, CMODH, observer at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Myself I am a Fula, a Mauritanian Haalpulaar. I was a victim of the 1989 events that led to my deportation to Senegal until 2002, when I came back to my country on my own. 2. Outline of the presentation This presentation will focus on two issues related to the deep-rooted causes of marginalisation and discrimination of people descendants of slaves and of Black African so-called minority ethnic groups, in criminal justice. 2.1. About enslaved people and descendants of slaves: Victims of enslavement do not have access to law and justice because of their status, that makes them vulnerable from all points of view. They are excluded from all social opportunities that are offered to citizens. Confined in their master’s houses, they have no activity other than performing exhausting tasks like shepherding camels and small ruminants, agricultural work, incessant housework and all other services to the masters. They are illiterate, they do not learn religion, and have no right over their offspring. They are rented, lent, given and inherited like any other good. In addition, other factors contribute to discriminations and marginalisation of enslaved victims in criminal justice: 1. Judicial institutions (prosecutor’s office, courts, police stations, gendarmerie) are almost entirely dominated by people belonging to the feudal pro-slavery class; 2. The training of magistrates coming from a traditional Islamic background; 3. The institutionalisation of the Arabic language as the only working language in prosecutors’ offices and in courts leads to the exclusion of non-Arabic minorities from a meaningful access to justice reports; 4. The official denial of the existence of slavery is a rule within judicial and administrative institutions; 5. The absence of an effective system of legal aid deprives victims of slavery of access to justice. Cases brought to court by our organisation are not examined and judged according to the 048/2007 law that was just replaced by a new law, but are considered as unpaid underage labour. Cases of violence faced by women – who are the majority of victims-, in particular sexual violence are trivialised and are not subject to fair and correct treatment and due process (cf the case of