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2.928 million people suffer from slavery in Arab countries. This is what the data from the Global Slavery Index says, but the latter is incomplete. Counting cases of slavery is not a simple task and getting precise figures is lost in the “estimates” column. Many jurists claim that this number is much higher and that it has increased with the wars taking place in countries other than Arab countries.
In figures, the number of people in slavery in Egypt reaches 573 thousand, in Iraq about 404 thousand, in Yemen 303.2 thousand, in Syria 257 thousand, in Sudan 454.7 thousand, in Morocco 220 thousand and in Algeria 248 thousand. In Libya the number reaches 70.9 thousand, in Tunisia 85 thousand, in Lebanon 29 thousand, in Jordan 42.9 thousand and in Mauritania 43 thousand.
While the number of people in slavery in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries reaches 197.2 thousand, and the highest number in Saudi Arabia is 91.1 thousand, and the lowest in Bahrain, which is 6 , 4 thousand, always according to the world index of slavery.
Modern slavery is defined as including forced labor, forced marriage, slavery and practices similar to slavery, and human trafficking.
From Sudan to Mauritania
U.S. State Department report 2017 says refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from East and West Africa, are extremely vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor in Sudan . During the period under review, Eritreans represented the highest proportion of victims of trafficking in Sudan, and particularly in the east, due to their influx as refugees and asylum seekers.
Ethiopian women are particularly vulnerable to domestic servitude in private homes in Khartoum and other urban centers. Some Ethiopian women are forced into prostitution in Khartoum and are subjected to slavery. A large proportion of those at risk of becoming victims of trafficking are Somalis. Reports indicate that Syrian refugees, including children, are increasingly seen on the streets of Khartoum, vulnerable to exploitation.
International organizations continued to document cases of West African citizens – mainly from Niger, Mali and Chad – who arrived in Sudan through irregular migration routes and were subsequently trafficked. It has been reported that Bangladeshi adults who migrate to Sudan for work have been trafficked.
In Mauritania, a report by the organization “Walk Free” on slavery in the world in 2016 indicates that this country hosts a high percentage of people living in slavery in the world, and this number reaches 43,000 people. Slavery is rooted in Mauritanian society, and the status of slaves is inherited from generation to generation, and is deeply rooted in social classes and the social system.
Of the 20,000 people subjected to forced labor, the report’s findings revealed that 43% of them were exploited in the construction sector in Mauritania. While 42% were exploited in domestic work. Forced labor in the domestic sector typically includes women who perform household chores, such as fetching water, collecting firewood, preparing food, peeling millet, and caring for children. In addition to slavery in the agricultural sector. However, a number of jurists claim that the number of slaves in Mauritania is around 500,000.
Tunisia
Tunisia was one of the first countries to announce a ban on the trafficking and sale of slavery on September 6, 1841. However, this phenomenon persists, and southern Tunisia, which includes a large number of black-skinned citizens, is still witnessing cases. operating.
The Walk Free Organization study indicates that the number of Tunisians exposed to human trafficking and slavery reached around 9,271 in 2013, bringing the number to 85,000 in 2016.
In Egypt, a study by the Shehab Center for Comprehensive Development confirms the violence practiced against Egyptian domestic workers, which has reached “hair shaving, burning ironing, rape and harassment, in addition to manufacturing cases. flight”.
Although there are no official statistics on the number of domestic workers, some human rights indicators, such as those tracked by the Shehab Center for Comprehensive Development, confirm that there are 380,000 million domestic workers in Egypt. The number of slaves in Egypt reached 573,000 in 2016, according to the Global Slavery Index.
From Yemen to Iraq and the Gulf
The expression “gentlemen and slaves” is still used in Yemen. In the northern tribal areas, thousands of people are enslaved by the group of Muhamasheen, or those known as “Akhdam”. They are Yemeni citizens, but they are distinguished by their brown skin.
The leader of the marginalized Yemeni Union, Numan Al-Hudhaifi, confirms that there are cases of slavery in the governorates of Al-Hudaydah and Hajjah. In a previous interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, he revealed that 12,000 Yemenis belonging to the marginalized group had been followed. Yemeni researcher Omar Al-Amqi has revealed, through a series of investigations, that there are more than 500 confirmed cases of slavery and slavery in the northwestern regions of Yemen.
Al-Amqi explained to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that there are tribal and influential sheikhs in the governorates of Hajjah and Al-Hodeidah in the northwest of the country, who enslave marginalized individuals by buying and selling. selling transactions under title deeds that are transferred from one person to another.
Yemen has around 2.5 million marginalized people. A group that brings together people deprived of public employment and working in street cleaning, garbage collection, cleaning toilets and cars, and in occupations that Yemeni society considers inferior, while their wives and children become beggars. This category is exposed to the worst forms of racism, which amounts to repeated physical assault.
In Iraq, 403,800 people suffer from modern slavery, according to the Slavery Index, or 1.13% of the population. Before the escalation of violence, migrant workers in Iraq were already exposed to forced labor and debt bondage.
However, the current crisis has exacerbated these problems and created new risks and threats. Those who want to leave the country face a difficult situation as employers keep workers’ passports. There are confirmed reports of women and children being held and sold in slave markets by ISIS.
Likewise, the number of people subjected to slavery is increasing in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and, according to press reports, human rights groups in Burundi have reported that around 800 girls have been transferred to the Gulf countries to work as slaves.
Many workers from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Eritrea, India and other countries voluntarily come to some countries in the Middle East to get the lucrative jobs promised by travel agencies and tourism, and these lucrative jobs include construction work, the oil and gas industries, and transportation. Upon entering the country, they find themselves victims of slavery.
Libya under the microscope of the world
Last week, the world was taken aback by shocking videos confirming the existence of human markets in Libya. From then until today, the media and reports on human rights have constantly alerted to this human tragedy and its spread in a number of countries.
Libya has seen a dramatic increase in the number of migrants held in detention centers in recent weeks, from 5,000 to 6,000, typically to over 15,000, as migrants were transferred from unofficial detention centers to Sabratha. The International Organization for Migration has so far registered more than 400,000 immigrants in Libya, with an estimated number of over 700,000 to one million immigrants.
Statistical reports confirm that the number of people in slavery in Libya reaches thousands, and that the country has become one of the known centers for slavery.
(The New Arabic)
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