Mr. Dembélé, head of a 15-person family, sells meat in the village of Kremis in Mali’s Kayes region. His family has been slaves to another family for generations. Mr. Dembélé was forced to give his “master” a large portion of the proceeds from his meat-selling business. After participating in outreach sessions on hereditary slavery and human rights organized by a USAID Mali Justice Project (MJP) local partner, Association Regard aux Couches Vulnérables (ARCV), Mr. Dembélé asserted his legal rights by refusing to continue paying his so-called slave master. As a result, he was banned from working in his meat shop and denied the opportunity to earn a living.
Mr. Dembélé sued in Yélimané district court to reclaim his business and won the case. This court decision prompted supporters of slavery in the village to burn down the Dembélé family home and expel them from their village. They found refuge in the nearby city of Yélimané. ARCV collaborated with the village chief and community leaders to organize mediation between Mr. Dembélé and his "master's" family to settle their dispute.
Mediators included the traditional chief of Yélimané, a civil society representative, three religious leaders, two representatives of RECOTRADE (a local association of traditional mediators,) the local president of CAFO (a network of Malian women’s organizations), and the vice-president of the local youth council. Following successful mediation, the Dembélé family reintegrated into their village and recovered their property. In addition, a local government agency in Kayes provided financial support and a food aid to facilitate their social and economic reintegration.
According to a 2012 study by Malian anthropologist Naffet Keita, an estimated 200,000 people are kept in "descent-based" or hereditary slavery in northern Mali. Many other communities in the regions of Mopti, Gao, Timbuktu, and Kayes also historically practice descent-based slavery. Kayes has been in the news recently for violence perpetrated against victims of hereditary slavery. Hundreds of people died over the past two years, hundreds more have been displaced to nearby towns, and marginalization due to slavery fuels recruitment by violent extremist organizations.
Through outreach to communities and to enslaved people, as well as free legal aid for victims, USAID MJP contributes to the fight against slavery. USAID also collaborates with local champions to secure the freedom of enslaved people, train formal and informal stakeholders on how to effectively handle slavery cases, and advocate for the passage of legislation that will definitively end slavery in Mali. USAID MJP has learned that alternative dispute resolution, such as locally-led mediation, can be very effective in resolving disputes between slaveholders and enslaved people. This approach allows victims of slavery to seek justice outside of the formal justice system, overcome bondage, and obtain some form of redress without severing all ties to their community.
USAID Mali Justice Project (MJP)