Chair and Director of Anti-Slavery International,
Ladies and Gentlemen, members of Anti-Slavery International,
Dear Guests,
I find it a great honour to address this noble assembly, on behalf
of the Timidria Association of Niger, which I am also proud to
represent.
Please allow me the honour of thanking everyone present today,
but in particular, Anti-Slavery International, its Council and
the Selection Committee for the 2004 Anti-Slavery Award, for the
honour accorded to the Timidria Association of Niger, in becoming
recipient of this prestigious prize.
This kind gesture touches my heart and so touches all of the
members of the National Executive Office and the 300,000 members
of the Timidria Association.
This 14th Anti-Slavery Award, given by Anti-Slavery International,
coincides with the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the
first black republic in Haïti. The General Assembly of the
United Nations has also named 2004 the International Year to
Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition.
This prize is an honour for all human rights organisations and
wider civil society in Niger, and in particular, for Timidria.
The Timidria Association was founded in 1991 by a group of young
Nigeriens driven by the same conviction and the same commitment:
to break the silence surrounding slavery and the discriminatory
and unjust practices inflicted on certain social groups in Niger.
Before introducing my organisation, please allow me to outline
the social and political context of Niger, my country.
Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa, with a population
of around 12 million people. It has a very high population growth
rate, with a predominantly rural population: 82 per cent live
in rural areas. The main ethnic groups making up the population
in Niger are the Haoussa, the Touareg, the Djerma, the Peulh,
the Kanouris, the Toubous, the Gourmantchés and the Arabs.
Niger was a French colony and gained its independence on 3 August
1960. Several political regimes followed, each aiming to bring
about the social and economic development of the country. But
it has to be acknowledged that these efforts have failed.
This can be seen from:
In terms of resources, it must be emphasised that Niger is one
of the poorest countries in the world: it is ranked second to
last in the 2004 human development index.
Apart from the revenue earned from the export of uranium -- which
has dropped considerably over the last few years -- the Nigerien
economy is based mainly on agriculture, animal breeding and herding.
These sectors rely on the rain cycles, which cause uncertainty
and anxiety every year due to their irregularity. This is a phenomenon
that cannot be controlled, it is synonymous with drought, the
dreaded scourge of the Sahel.
On the political level
Niger has undergone a series of socio-political crises during
the last 14 years. This period has been marked by a number of
political events that have caused major splits: These include
one national sovereign conference, four republics, two coups
d'etat, two military regimes, and two armed rebellions in
the north and the east of the country.
These crises have brought about political and institutional instability
that has not helped in the development, or the emergence, of a
civil society in Niger. They have also caused inadequacies in
the implementation of structural reforms and development programmes.
This kind of environment has only served to increase the impoverishment
of the citizens of Niger in both urban and rural areas.
However, the experimentation with democracy has resulted in social
and political tensions, which have truly tested the development
of the country. On the positive side, it has also permitted the
birth of the civil society. This civil society has risen up, not
only against certain social injustices, but has also imposed itself
as an indispensable partner in national government, whose voice
will be heard. This is the case, for example, of Timidria, which
defends human rights and fights against all forms of slavery that
still survive in certain parts of our country.
Introducing Timidria
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would now like to introduce Timidria.
The Timidria Association, founded 13 years ago, was officially
recognised on 3 December 1991. Its headquarters are in the capital,
Niamey.
Timidria is mass membership association. Members are recruited
from the intellectuals as well as from groups that are socially
excluded and that lack a voice. All share the common goal of putting
an end to all injustice.
Timidria has a presence in every region of Niger. It has eight
divisions, 38 sub-divisions and 636 local offices. Our mission
is to fight against slavery as well as against all types of discrimination
in Niger.
Our overall objective is to contribute to the advancement and
the protection of human rights and to reinforce the rule of law
in Niger.
Timidria achieves this by:
Slavery is the reason for our presence at this ceremony and is
the most violent, the most inhumane and most degrading type of
alienation of the freedom of a human being.
In Niger, slavery is a real and current phenomenon that is alive
today at the start of the 21st century. It takes different forms,
depending on the regions and the ethnic groups where slavery is
found.
Among the nomadic slave masters, we find barbaric and inhumane
practices of overt slavery. For example, this involves people
living with their master and being forced to work for him.
In the settled areas of west Niger, so-called "soft"
practices of slavery continue. In these cases, descendents of
slaves are discriminated against, stigmatised and humiliated.
One example is that of Asibit of Tamaya-Abalak, who decided
one morning in July 2004 to end her situation as a slave, even
though she had been born into slavery. Asibit is now 50 years
old. She is mother to four children -- three boys and one girl,
with one son and her daughter the result of rape by her master,
despite the fact that she was married to a slave of the same master.
Asibit decided to leave following a difficult night during which
her master forced her to stand and serve as a tent post, supporting
a tent in which her master and his family were sleeping, in the
violent winds and driving rain of the Sahel.
Another example is Boulboulou. This young girl, torn from her
parents' care at the age of four in 1984, was sold for a few kilos
of semolina, tea and sugar. Her story has spread all around the
world thanks to the French documentary Master and Slave in
Niger.
During her life as a slave, Boulboulou experienced all the suffering
associated with forced labour. Her master owns a large herd of
camels, which Boulboulou spent her life guarding, driving, and
looking after, taking them back and forth to be watered.
At 16 years old, she was forced to marry. But she remained in
the tent of her master, as a slave. Boulboulou had a daughter
but despite her new role as a mother, she was not relieved of
any of her daily duties, such as pounding millet, carrying water
over long distances, gathering firewood, and caring for the camels.
If any of the baby camels escaped, Boulboulou would be abused,
humiliated and beaten. Boulboulou's troubles did not end there.
Just as when she was a baby, her young daughter, at barely three
years old, was taken and given as a wedding gift to her master's
daughter. In this distressing and helpless situation of a mother
losing her child, a woman abused and traumatised, she decided
to escape to look for her real parents.
Some local people helped Boulboulou to find her parents. They
also directed her to the local Timidria office. Timidria became
involved and successfully reunited her with her daughter, who
is now enrolled in school in the Tahoua region. Boulboulou is
now married to a man she chose and with whom she has three children.
Today, she leads the life of a free and happy woman.
Masters control their slaves not only through abuse, humiliation
and violence, but also through psychological control. The master
indoctrinates his slaves and keeps them in complete ignorance
and far away from town centres.
This indoctrination consists of separating the child from his
parents from a very young age, in order to traumatise the child,
so that he sees himself as an inferior person, born only to serve
others and to accept the humiliation that will be inflicted on
him throughout his life. A slave does not have a family. Left
in obscurity, he is often told that God has willed this to happen,
in order to cultivate a fatalistic acceptance of his being a slave.
There is also a pernicious exclusion of which slaves and their
descendants are often victim. Wherever they go, slaves are only
an addition to the workforce, an accessory whose views or opinions
do not count in affairs of social or political management.
This is the example of the inhabitants of the village of Gounti
Koira, in the canton of Kouré, 40 kilometres from Niamey,
the capital of Niger. This village has over 400 inhabitants. For
the past 59 years that this village has existed, they have been
excluded from everything, as they are considered to be slaves.
These people have never received any social assistance from the
State. The first village school was set up by Timidria in 2003
as part of a community school programme financed by Oxfam UK and
70 pupils, girls and boys, have joined the school in its first
year.
However, this village has never voted. Even during the last local
elections held in Niger on 24 July 2004, the entire village did
not vote because the residents, still considered slaves, have
not been registered.
How Timidria helps victims of slavery
The different types of assistance provided by Timidria to victims
of slavery are diverse. When Timidria's local groups receive slaves
who have fled their masters, in the majority of cases in complete
destitution, a campaign of solidarity is organised around them.
They are given emergency assistance and both material and moral
support. This usually includes clothing, shoes, bedding, medical
care and food, as well as psychological assistance.
The local authorities are informed of the situation but will
only act if the slave has left children or a family member after
escaping. Where this is the case, the local authority will instruct
the police to bring back the remaining members of the family and
in some instances, the master.
Frequently, despite the advice of Timidria that the slave submits
a complaint against his or her master, and demands compensation
for injuries suffered, very few undertake to do this. For the
majority of individuals, their only aim is to be free and to live
in safety away from the slave master. As a result, it is rare
for a case to be brought before the courts. Timidria is often
the only port of call for people who have escaped slavery and
the only place where they will find material support to meet their
basic needs.
In 2003 the Government of Niger adopted a law which criminalises
slavery. The development of this law is the result of a long process
that the Timidria Association followed through with perseverance
and determination. Timidria organised an appeal and a lobbying
campaign involving national partners, magistrates associations,
Human Rights Associations and legal, political and parliamentary
authorities.
Within the context of bringing to light the persistence of slavery
in Niger, Anti-Slavery International financed a study carried
out in 2002. The results were presented on the 10 May 2003, under
the patronage of the Minister of Justice, a representative of
the Government of Niger and representatives of Anti-Slavery International.
The new law is now being disseminated throughout the judiciary
and wider society.
Partnership
Ladies and Gentlemen,
If today we are awarded this prestigious Anti-Slavery Award,
it is thanks to the sincere partnership and co-operation born
of the mutual trust between both of our organisations.
This partnership enabled the Timidria Association to carry out
a study in 2002, relating to the historical and legal aspects
of slavery and including a survey of victims of slavery in six
of the eight administrative regions of Niger. This study, the
first of its kind in West Africa, was written by two renowned
researchers and has now been published and is available as a report.
Today, the challenges that await us are great and can only be
faced with the support of our partners and with sister organisations
in the North.
Among these challenges are ensuring that the infrastructure for
supporting freed slaves is developed and in place.
The survey that we carried out in 2002 found that an estimated
870,000 people are in slavery in Niger. We aim for all of these
people to be freed. At the moment, there are no systems to help
them. Time is critical. We expect that in the next few months,
7,000 people will be freed by their master, a leader of a nomadic
tribe in the region of Tillaberi.
In a country that is as desperately poor as Niger, what can be
done for them? In order to ensure that they are given the psychological
and material support they need we need your help.
There is an urgent need for emergency assistance. We need funds
for clothes, tents food -- everything a person requires to survive
and live.
In the long-term we need partnership with governments and international
development agencies that can help us develop infrastructures
such as water facilities, schools and health care.
On this joyous occasion, please allow me to call upon all the
nations of the world and to ask international organisations to
support our activities and those of other African associations,
particularly in Niger, Mali and Mauritania, in our fight to eradicate
the most inhumane phenomenon that is slavery.
My speech would not be complete without thanking, from the bottom
of my heart, all those individuals, both near and far, who have
helped to obtain this prestigious Award.
In particular, we would like to express our recognition and gratitude
to the following institutions and individuals for their unfailing
commitment to our cause:
