IRA - USA (Initiative for the Resurgent Abolition Movement)

IRA - USA fights slavery, racism and gender-based oppression in Mauritania. Our Mission:

• Mauritania has the highest prevalence of slavery in the world.
• We partner with Biram Dah Abeid's IRA - Mauritanie along with other human rights defenders in Mauritania to defend, uplift, and improve the lives of escaped slaves, children forced into marriage, and victims of racism.

Our Programs:

• Maison des Esclaves/House of Refuge -- We are building a refuge for escaped slaves, where they can find basic support and services (food, clothing, a place to sleep). We will also provide life-skills training for escaped slaves. You can read about this on our website, www.ira-usa.org or watch our Maison des esclaves video.
• Rule of Law Project: in partnership with Aminetou Moctar's the Association Femmes Chef de Famille (AFCF) and Fatimata M'Baye's Association Mauritanienne des Droits de l'Homme (AMDH) we are fielding a team of 14 Mauritanian paralegals who will be assisted by three lawyers to register human rights violations and help to resolve these cases.
• We aim to prosecute slave owners. The 2007 law in Mauritania that provided a criminal penalty for slave owning has never been implemented. No slave owner, not even those who have confessed in court, has ever served a jail term. We seek full prosecution of slave owners so that the anti-slavery law becomes effective.

Our Services: IRA USA pursues its mission using a full spectrum of international human rights services, including

• educational outreach and advocacy in Washington DC, at the United Nations, and in Mauritania,
• legal proceedings in Mauritania and internationally
• media alerts and outreach concerning human rights violations
• fund raising and technical support for in-country programs