Hadijatou Mani victory should mean freedom for thousands of slaves in west Africa

The is taken from the Guardian. It is excellent news. The justice arm of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) court has convicted Niger of failing to protect a young girl sold into slavery in a landmark judgment with potentially far-reaching implications for the tens of thousands of people who remain enslaved in the region.

Yhe court ruled that Niger, where slavery remains common in rural areas despite being officially abolished five years ago, failed in its obligations to protect Hadijatou Mani.Mani, who brought the test case with the assistance of British anti-slavery groups, said she was sold into slavery at the age of 12 for around £325 and regularly beaten and sexually abused.The court, sitting in the capital, Niamey, ordered the state to pay her 10 million CFA francs (about £12,000) in damages and accumulated interest.

"I am very happy with this decision...It was very difficult to challenge my former master and to speak out when people see you as nothing more than a slave. But I knew that this was the only way to protect my child from suffering the same fate. Nobody deserves to be enslaved." Mani told Reuters reporters after the ruling was announced.

"We are law-abiding and will respect this decision," Mossi Boubacar, a legal official for Niger's government, told Reuters.The ruling by the panel of judges from Senegal, Mali and Togo is the first time Ecowas had been asked to rule on slavery. It is binding for all the organisation's 15 member nations. As well as Niger - where a recent study by the London-based Anti-Slavery International and local human rights group Timidria estimated at least 43,000 people were enslaved - the practice remains widespread in other west African nations such as another Ecowas member, Mali, and Mauritania.

Slavery was officially outlawed in Mauritania in 1981 but some human rights groups estimate up to 20% of the country's 3m people are still enslaved. A Malian human rights group, Temedt, estimated there were at least 7,000 slaves in just one region of the country, Gao. Anti-Slavery International described how slaves in Niger were owned and completely controlled by their masters, receiving only minimal food and a place to sleep in return for their labour.

The life of a sadaka, or sexual slave, was described in detail by Mani during the court case. She explained how she had been born a slave, sold and then transferred as a child against her mother's wishes to a man. She testified that she had been raped at 13 and constantly forced to have sex with her 63-year-old master, who owned seven other slaves. In 2005, two years after Niger enacted a law forbidding slavery, Mani was presented with a liberation certificate. This proved to be worthless, as she was immediately forced into a "wahiya marriage", giving her the status of a concubine.When she fled and married another man, her master had her arrested and charged with bigamy. She was imprisoned for two months on remand.

The issue has become deeply embarrassing for the government of Niger, which has failed to act on evidence of continued and widespread slavery in rural areas....I say screw embarrassment. Slavery is an evil practice that should have been wiped off the face of the earth a long time ago. We shall see if Niger and Mali now honour this ruling and free the slaves. The hell with tradition.

Hadijatou Mani

According to today’s Observer a panel of West African judges will decide whether Niger's government has failed to protect decide whether Niger's government has failed to protect Hadijatou Mani and tens of thousands like her who have been enslaved, despite the practice being outlawed five years ago. Her case is being heard by the justice arm of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).

Ms Mani was sold into slavery at the age of 12 and repeatedly raped by her master. Her appalling story is familiar in a country where the ownership of slaves, many from a hereditary slave caste, has been commonplace, particularly in remote rural areas. Beatings were frequent and she and other slaves were forced to work unpaid and gruelling hours for Naroua and his four legitimate wives. When she tried to escape, she was punished.

In 2005, two years after Niger enacted a law forbidding slavery, she was presented with a 'liberation certificate'. This proved to be worthless, as she was immediately forced into a 'wahiya marriage', with the status of a concubine. When she fled and married another man, her master had her arrested and charged with bigamy. She was subsequently imprisoned for two months on remand. It is believed that if tomorrow's verdict goes in her favour, the bigamy charges will be dropped.

Speaking before the judgment, Ms Mani said: 'It was very difficult to challenge my former master and to speak out when people see you as nothing more than a slave. But I knew that this was the only way to protect my child from suffering the same fate. Nobody deserves to be enslaved. We are all equal and deserve to be treated the same as anyone else. I hope that all those who are in slavery today can find their freedom. No woman should suffer the way I did.'

The issue has become a deeply embarrassing one for the government of Niger. Despite introducing the anti-slavery legislation, it has failed to act on evidence of its continuing and widespread existence in rural areas. But international conventions and national laws count for little compared to the centuries old 'customary law' that holds sway in rural villages and towns. According to Anti-Slavery International, Niger's courts have frequently proved reluctant to enforce law over custom.

Campaigners hope a favourable ruling may herald a major cultural shift on the issue of descent-based slavery throughout the Sahel region. The court's judgment will be binding in Niger and will be applicable in other countries in the Ecowas community where descent-based slavery exists, including Mali.

What can you say but hope that the Ecowas judges find in Hadijatou's favour and that Niger and other countries where this practice still occurs pay more than lip service to their own laws.

England's first slaver

Every year on 1 August Plymouth holds an African Remembrance Day, a reflection that England’s entry proper into the history of slavery began there.

John Hawkins holds the dubious title of founder of the English slave trade (He was not the first Englishman to carry slaves – John Lok and William Towerson had brought slaves to England in the 1550s). In 1562 Hawkins sailed from Plymouth. He took 400 Africans from Guinea and traded them in the West Indies. Between 1562 and 1567 He made three voyages three voyages to Guinea and Sierra Leone taking between 1,200 and 1,400 Africans.

Hawkins would sail for the west coast of Africa and kidnap villagers, often with the help of other African natives. He would then cross the Atlantic and sell his cargo, or those who survived the voyage, to the Spanish. For Hawkins, the trade ended in 1567 when his fleet, which included a ship commanded by Francis Drake, took shelter from a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. The Spanish were also there. In the chaos and fight that followed, many of his men were killed. Hawkins escaped in one ship and Drake in another. He'd lost 325 men on that voyage but it still showed a financial profit.

He was later appointed as Treasurer for the Navy and knighted in 1588 by the Lord High Admiral, Charles Howard, following the defeat of the Spanish Armada. In Plymouth there are numerous public monuments to his achievements, including Sir John Hawkins Square.

Above: The Hawkins Crest