Mr. President, Dear guests, The Association of the Mauritania Haratins in Europe (A.H.M.E) draws attention to the discrimination suffered by the Haratin community regarding access to decent employment. Slavery victims, as soon as they brake free from their slave masters, are abandoned on their own without qualifications. The State does not train Haratins in trades which allow them to enter the job market. Haratins who wish to start a business do not receive loans from public or private banks. This is because the country's economy, the financial organisations, the public and private companies, the safety apparatus and the executive and legislative power are under the control of the Arab-Berber elite. The Haratins have endured Arab-Berber slavery for many centuries. Ethnic groups and the Arabic, Berber, Haalpoular, Soninke and Wolof people are recognised in the constitution of 20 July 1991. The Haratin group legitimately claims the same rights in this matter. Castes exists within all the Mauritanian ethnic groups, namely the Arabic, Berber, Haalpoular, Soninke and Wolof ones. Let’s take the example of the Moors (Arabs and Berbers), there are discriminated castes which are the griots (iggawins) whose function lies in the praises and music for the benefit of the upper castes, the blacksmiths (lil-allimins) who make objects

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