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[Gjest Anonymous]

Born to Be a Slave in Niger

Fatima told us she had been working for her master for as long as she could remember.

She said her master did not pay her, but fed and clothed her.

"What can I do?" she said. "I have no money, I need food, I have children and so if I can work for a man who at least feeds me then that is good."

When I asked her if she was a slave she looked at the ground, and said yes.

She seemed humiliated by her status, but seemed to have no greater expectations of her life.

When we spoke to her masters they denied owning slaves. The practice of slavery was outlawed in Niger last year.

Trading in slaves has been banned in Niger since the days of the French colonists in the last century, but ownership of slaves was never specifically banned.

Most slaves in Niger today are the descendents of slaves who were kidnapped in wars and raids centuries ago, and were simply born into their status.

Many slaves in Niger are appallingly abused by their masters.

Slave children are taken away from their parents before they are two-years-old, to break the bonds between parent and child and to eliminate any sense of identity.

[Gjest Valhalla]

I midtøsten skjer dette også i stort omfang. Det var flere slaver som ble ført den veien enn til vesten og det har ikke stoppet.