FROM CHILD BRIDE TO SEX SLAVE: HOW MAURITANIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000255

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2019
TAGS: KDEM MR PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: FROM CHILD BRIDE TO SEX SLAVE: HOW MAURITANIAN
GIRLS ARE TRAFFICKED INTO SAUDI ARABIA

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b and
d)


1. (C) Summary: Reports of trafficking of Mauritanian
child brides to Saudi Arabia are on the rise. The girls,
usually between 5 and 12 years of age, are married off to
wealthy Saudi men in exchange for hefty bride prices. Once
they arrive in Saudi Arabia, they become sex slaves to their
husbands. In 2008, the Association of Women Heads of
Household -- a local NGO focused on women's rights --
provided support to 15 victims of trafficking. This year,
between January and March, they have already tended to 11
cases. In response to this problem, Aminetou Mint El Moctar,
president of the association, has single-handedly launched a
campaign against trafficking. She wants to raise awareness
among parents about the realities of child marriages to Saudi
men as well as force the government to acknowledge and
address the problem. UNICEF recognizes the problem and
intends to address it in its next national study on child
trafficking but it has not taken any concrete action. End
summary.

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THE CHILD BRIDE BUSINESS
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2. (C) In a meeting April 7 with PolOff, Mint El Moctar
denounced the traditional practice of child marriages as the
main driver of trafficking. Traffickers approach poor and
ignorant Mauritanian families about marrying their daughters
to wealthy Saudi men. Hefty bride prices amounting to 5-6
million ouguiya (approximately $20,000) and promises of
better opportunities for the girls lure the families into
accepting, says Mint El Moctar. The intermediaries are
usually associated with local travel agencies, which Mint El
Moctar says are in reality trafficking networks. The girls
are taken to Saudi Arabia by a family member or by a travel
agency designated "tutor." The agency intermediary gets a
commission from the husband for striking the marriage deal --
amounts vary according to the girl's beauty and youth.


3. (C) Mint El Moctar stressed that once they arrive in
Saudi Arabia, these child brides become sex slaves to their
husbands. She explained that pre-pubescent girls are highly
prized by Saudi men but, once they reach puberty or become
pregnant, they are of no further interest to their husbands.
According to Mint El Moctar, the girls are then repudiated
and thrown into the streets. Without a support network, they
have no choice but to become prostitutes. Comment: PolOff
had already heard reports of the sex slavery practice from Cy
Lalla Aisha of human rights organization FONADH. Aisha told
PolOff she had met a Mauritanian girl who had spent three
years in Saudi Arabia locked up in a room without seeing
anybody but her husband and a female servant who tended to
her needs. The trafficking and abuses has also been
denounced by Radio France International in a January 4 report
that includes testimonies of Mulheri, a 7 year old girl
trafficked to Saudi Arabia, and Aminetou who, upon her
divorce, had to leave her children behind in Saudi Arabia.
End comment.

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TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN
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4. (C) Mint El Moctar also denounced trafficking of adult
women to Saudi Arabia for prostitution purposes. She said
the travel agencies offer poor women to pay for their plane
tickets and visa to look for work opportunities in Saudi
Arabia. The women agree to reimburse the agency once they
get to their destination. They are then forced to prostitute
themselves to pay their debt. Mint Moctar said around thirty
Mauritanian women have been convicted in Saudi Arabia for
prostitution and are serving prison terms there. She stated
these trafficking victims are punished for crimes they

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committed while being trafficked.

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SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL
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5. (C) The Mauritanian government does not recognize
trafficking as a problem, says Mint El Moctar. Articles 332
and 335 of the Penal Code have provisions against trafficking
which are not enforced. Mint El Moctar recently sent a
letter to High State Council President General Abdel Aziz to
denounce government inaction but received no response. As a
result, she started her own public awareness campaign and is
fighting for the creation of a law project to criminalize and
combat trafficking. Comment: In February 2009, PolOff met
with a government representative in the Ministry of Justice
who stated trafficking of Mauritanian women did not exist and
trafficking to Saudi Arabia was not possible because there
was a government law that required women to travel with a
male family member. End comment.


6. (C) Mint El Moctar stressed that the court system puts
all the blame on the girls that are victims of trafficking.
She mentioned that a girl who dares denounce her trafficker
is accused of being a depraved and sinful woman.


7. (C) Mint El Moctar stated she has received death threats
for pushing the issue. She has been accused of being a liar,
a madwoman, and a traitor who damages Mauritania's reputation.


8. (C) Mint El Moctar asked for the United States' help to
raise awareness of this problem and to bring the issue to the
United Nations. She thanked the United States for denouncing
human rights violations through the Human Rights report and
said this publication had been useful in confronting the
Mauritanian authorities with traditionally taboo issues.

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OTHER CONCERNS
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9. (C) Mint El Moctar also expressed concern about a recent
surge in child marriages in Mauritania. She explained that
families are so worried about their daughters getting raped
or having sex before marriage, that they marry them as soon
as they can to preserve their honor. (Note: Rape is a
generalized problem in Mauritania that receives no government
attention. Zeinebou Mint Taleb Moussa, president of the
Mauritanian Association for the Health of Mother and Child
(AMSME),said that in 2008 the center she supervises -- the
only one providing services to victims of rape in Mauritania
-- received 304 victims. She stated most victims do not seek
help. The week of April 1, a center volunteer was raped and
threatened for her affiliation to the center. End note.)
According to Mint El Moctar, early marriages expose young
girls to domestic violence, domestic servitude, and endangers
their health. She introduced PolOff to a pregnant 12 year
old girl who had already been married for three years and was
regularly beaten by her husband. Comment: Again, these
reports were confirmed by Cy Lalla Aisha from FONADH who told
PolOff one of her clients was a 12 year old who almost died
in childbirth. End comment.

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UNICEF and UN Population Fund POINT OF VIEW
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10. (C) Both UNICEF and the UN recognize the problem but
stated they do not have the resources to take concrete
actions. Mohamed Lemine Ahmed Seyfer, Protection Specialist
at UNICEF Mauritania stated that the "trafficking of
Mauritanian girls to Saudi Arabia is a recognized problem
that has been signaled by many NGOs. He said that the
Ministry of Women has recognized the problem and that UNICEF
intends to approach this issue in its next national study on

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child trafficking. They also intend to work together with
UNICEF Saudi Arabia. Seyfer requested United States funds to
help accelerate actions against child trafficking in
Mauritania. He said UNICEF is soliciting funds to send a
joint UNICEF/Ministry of Women investigative mission to Saudi
Arabia.


11. (C) Ahmed Salem Bouh, representative of the United
Nations Population Fund, said that the United Nations has
been working in close collaboration with the government in
the fight against child marriage and women's rights in
general. Nevertheless, even though they worked with the
government to pass law's against child marriage they don't
have specific programs to curtail the trafficking of
Mauritanian girls to Saudi Arabia.


11. (C) Comment: Trafficking, the corollary of poverty and
traditional practices harmful to women, is one of many taboos
in Mauritanian society. NGOs like Mint El Moctar's wage a
lone battle without resources or recognition. The coup
d'etat is likely to make their quest even more difficult. As
the United States seeks to support democratic forces in
Mauritania, it should put an emphasis on increasing these
NGO's capacity to denounce and fight human rights abuses as
well as provide support to victims. With their "in your face
approach" towards the government, their capacity to undertake
concrete actions and mobilize the population at the
grassroots level, and their desire to fight against all odds
for a more democratic society -- even at the expense of their
reputation and personal safety -- human rights activists like
Mint El Moctar are among our best partners in democracy. End
comment.

HANKINS