“Indimaj” - A place where women join to organize, for rights and voice.

The goal of the proposed project is to combat discrimination against women and girls in rural Mauritania on account of both their gender and their status as formerly enslaved persons, promoting the full social, economic, and legal integration of victims and survivors into society. Despite significant institutional and legal advances, efforts must be made to foster social change in attitudes and behaviours among key stakeholders that hold discriminatory views towards people of slave descent. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by descent-based slavery and slavery-based discrimination. Moreover, the project acknowledges that gender-based discrimination and inequality are both the root causes and consequences of modern slavery. It considers slavery and slavery-like practices to be a form of violence against women. Additionally, addressing the economic vulnerability of women victims is crucial, as extreme poverty and lack of employment opportunities in their communities are key factors perpetuating the cycle of exploitation and discrimination. Empowering victims and survivors as agents of change is vital, enabling them to exercise their civil rights, including civil registration, access to land, education, and other essential social services. Accordingly, the proposed project is titled: “Indimaj” - A place where women join to organize, for rights and voice. Combating slavery-based discrimination against women and girls in rural areas, the project contributes to three objectives: • Objective 1: Key stakeholders are positioned to enact or enforce anti-discriminatory policy and to make concerted efforts to integrate enslaved and formerly enslaved persons into society. • Objective 2: Paralegal and judicial professionals, along with labor inspectors, provide effective legal assistance to victims of slavery and slavery-based discrimination and hold slaveholders to account. • Objective 3: Communities of slave descent effectively access livelihood skills, opportunities, and social service. The project strategy is based on freedom of association, voice, and economic empowerment, placing women at the forefront of the project’s activities and providing them with opportunities to fully participate in tripartite social dialogue and normative action to contribute to safeguarding all five categories fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW) (Outcome 1), while advancing access to justice for survivors (Outcome 2), promoting diversified, and sustainable sources of income (Outcome 3.1) as well as enhanced accessibility of legal, and social services (Outcome 3.2). Project activities are designed to build on existing ILO-led and DRL-funded strategic interventions and will expand and accelerate the impact of past and ongoing projects at the national level. The project will leverage the ILO’s tripartite character, extensive experience, and deep-seated networks to make measurable progress in ending descent-based slavery in Mauritania.

Project symbol

MRT/24/01/USA

Admin unit

CO-Algiers

Start date

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End date

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Total allocation

239251

Total expenditure

Status

Active

239251

Development Partners

USA, Department of State

Country/Countries

Mauritania

Outcomes

Outcome 1: Strong, modernized normative action for social justice