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| The Home Office's silencing of anti-slavery voices is shameful The Home Office's silencing of anti-slavery voices is shameful | |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| A couple of weeks ago, in the basement hall of a London hotel, Biram Dah Abeid stood up and addressed the Trust Women conference. Abeid, the leading anti-slavery activist in Mauritania, spoke devastatingly of the 140,000 Mauritanian people – mostly women and children – who are owned by masters, stripped of any human rights, and who are violently and sexually abused, with barely any retribution under the law. | A couple of weeks ago, in the basement hall of a London hotel, Biram Dah Abeid stood up and addressed the Trust Women conference. Abeid, the leading anti-slavery activist in Mauritania, spoke devastatingly of the 140,000 Mauritanian people – mostly women and children – who are owned by masters, stripped of any human rights, and who are violently and sexually abused, with barely any retribution under the law. |
| Abeid spoke of how, despite its supposed abolition three times (in 1905, 1961 and then again in 1981), slavery is still perpetrated today by the most powerful members of Mauritanian society – the politicians, judges and imams – and how his own lifelong fight to liberate those who are enslaved, and prosecute slave owners, has resulted in him being beaten and imprisoned countless times. | Abeid spoke of how, despite its supposed abolition three times (in 1905, 1961 and then again in 1981), slavery is still perpetrated today by the most powerful members of Mauritanian society – the politicians, judges and imams – and how his own lifelong fight to liberate those who are enslaved, and prosecute slave owners, has resulted in him being beaten and imprisoned countless times. |
| It was a brief speech, but in 11 minutes his account of the institutionalised slavery that remains largely absent from European newspapers left an audience of 600 CEOs, government officials, journalists and activists simmering at the injustice. | It was a brief speech, but in 11 minutes his account of the institutionalised slavery that remains largely absent from European newspapers left an audience of 600 CEOs, government officials, journalists and activists simmering at the injustice. |
| Yet 24 hours earlier, it had looked as if Abeid would not be allowed to come to the UK to speak at all. This man, who came runner-up in the 2014 Mauritanian presidential elections, who has been awarded a UN human rights prize, and who has met with Nelson Mandela, was denied a visa to visit the UK to give his keynote speech at this, the world’s largest conference tackling slavery and human rights. | Yet 24 hours earlier, it had looked as if Abeid would not be allowed to come to the UK to speak at all. This man, who came runner-up in the 2014 Mauritanian presidential elections, who has been awarded a UN human rights prize, and who has met with Nelson Mandela, was denied a visa to visit the UK to give his keynote speech at this, the world’s largest conference tackling slavery and human rights. |
| And he is not alone. This year, 19 academics, activists and delegates, – some handpicked from thousands to take part in the conference, and from countries as far flung as Afghanistan, Senegal, Egypt, Nepal, Palestine and Tajikistan – were denied permission to come to London for three days. In the five-year history of the Trust Women conference, this is by far the most visa rejections they have ever had. | And he is not alone. This year, 19 academics, activists and delegates, – some handpicked from thousands to take part in the conference, and from countries as far flung as Afghanistan, Senegal, Egypt, Nepal, Palestine and Tajikistan – were denied permission to come to London for three days. In the five-year history of the Trust Women conference, this is by far the most visa rejections they have ever had. |
| It was shameful to hear Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters foundation, calling out this unprecedented rejection of visas as an “alarming trend”. Is this the latest incarnation of our hostile borders, that even invited campaigners with proven records for working on the anti-slavery frontline and championing women’s rights, are now being denied entry to speak at a London conference? Has, as this conference suggests, the unfortunate trend towards a suspicion of experts extended to the Home Office? | It was shameful to hear Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters foundation, calling out this unprecedented rejection of visas as an “alarming trend”. Is this the latest incarnation of our hostile borders, that even invited campaigners with proven records for working on the anti-slavery frontline and championing women’s rights, are now being denied entry to speak at a London conference? Has, as this conference suggests, the unfortunate trend towards a suspicion of experts extended to the Home Office? |
| The impact of such a draconian approach is not to be underestimated. In simple terms it means that those involved in women’s rights and the fight against slavery in some of the toughest places in the world can no longer have their voices heard in the UK. More often than not, the activists who were invited are rarely able to speak out in their own countries, and we are now denying them the opportunity to speak in ours. | The impact of such a draconian approach is not to be underestimated. In simple terms it means that those involved in women’s rights and the fight against slavery in some of the toughest places in the world can no longer have their voices heard in the UK. More often than not, the activists who were invited are rarely able to speak out in their own countries, and we are now denying them the opportunity to speak in ours. |
| In almost all rejected visa cases, financial reasons were cited, despite all scholars being fully financially backed | In almost all rejected visa cases, financial reasons were cited, despite all scholars being fully financially backed |
| Over email I spoke to Yostina Boules, who was among those invited by Trust Women. She was the first woman in Egypt to file a sexual harassment case at an Egyptian university, and as part of her intimidation to drop the claim she was locked in a room with her harassers for five hours. She now mentors women who have faced similar situations, though her work has to be done quietly and under the radar to keep safe all those involved. | Over email I spoke to Yostina Boules, who was among those invited by Trust Women. She was the first woman in Egypt to file a sexual harassment case at an Egyptian university, and as part of her intimidation to drop the claim she was locked in a room with her harassers for five hours. She now mentors women who have faced similar situations, though her work has to be done quietly and under the radar to keep safe all those involved. |
| It was this experience she was due to share with the conference – and not only did she have proof of funding and a ticket home, but in the past Boules has been granted a Schengen visa, which allowed her to speak at events in other EU countries, several times. And yet her visa to visit the conference was denied, not once but twice. “It’s totally humiliating,” she told me. | It was this experience she was due to share with the conference – and not only did she have proof of funding and a ticket home, but in the past Boules has been granted a Schengen visa, which allowed her to speak at events in other EU countries, several times. And yet her visa to visit the conference was denied, not once but twice. “It’s totally humiliating,” she told me. |
| In almost all rejected visa cases, financial reasons were cited, despite all scholars being fully financially backed by the conference, with letters of reference and paid-for flights home. Abeid’s visa was eventually granted just hours before the conference and only after the Italian foreign minister and other diplomats intervened. When these visa rejections were put to the Home Office, they said they would not comment on individual cases but that everyone had to meet the requirements of UK immigration rules. | In almost all rejected visa cases, financial reasons were cited, despite all scholars being fully financially backed by the conference, with letters of reference and paid-for flights home. Abeid’s visa was eventually granted just hours before the conference and only after the Italian foreign minister and other diplomats intervened. When these visa rejections were put to the Home Office, they said they would not comment on individual cases but that everyone had to meet the requirements of UK immigration rules. |
| Publicly, Theresa May has pledged to throw millions at addressing modern slavery in Britain; but behind the scenes, the Home Office is stopping those who understand slavery best from visiting the UK and sharing their expertise. This is also the very same conference where, three years ago, May gave a speech to announce the modern slavery bill and praised its work in empowering women. | Publicly, Theresa May has pledged to throw millions at addressing modern slavery in Britain; but behind the scenes, the Home Office is stopping those who understand slavery best from visiting the UK and sharing their expertise. This is also the very same conference where, three years ago, May gave a speech to announce the modern slavery bill and praised its work in empowering women. |
| We live in an era where there are more slaves in the world than ever in history (an estimated 45.8 million) and at this moment, as desperate refugees flock to Europe in their hundreds of thousands, the number at risk of human trafficking gets greater every day. An estimated 10,000 child refugees are said to have vanished after arriving in Europe. While May might look scornfully on the idea of us all being citizens of the world, when it comes to tackling this ever-growing problem, borders have to become as porous to governments as they are to the traffickers themselves. And that works both ways: we must invite in outside voices working on the ground just as readily as we dispatch our own “experts” to Sudan, Egypt, Tajikistan and Senegal. | We live in an era where there are more slaves in the world than ever in history (an estimated 45.8 million) and at this moment, as desperate refugees flock to Europe in their hundreds of thousands, the number at risk of human trafficking gets greater every day. An estimated 10,000 child refugees are said to have vanished after arriving in Europe. While May might look scornfully on the idea of us all being citizens of the world, when it comes to tackling this ever-growing problem, borders have to become as porous to governments as they are to the traffickers themselves. And that works both ways: we must invite in outside voices working on the ground just as readily as we dispatch our own “experts” to Sudan, Egypt, Tajikistan and Senegal. |
| Reports show that Trust Women is far from the only UK conference that has faced this problem in recent years, and we are now faced with the uncomfortable truth that organisers may just take them elsewhere. Villa was upfront that “we cannot continue to have Trust Women in London if those who are working on the ground are stopped from coming.” | Reports show that Trust Women is far from the only UK conference that has faced this problem in recent years, and we are now faced with the uncomfortable truth that organisers may just take them elsewhere. Villa was upfront that “we cannot continue to have Trust Women in London if those who are working on the ground are stopped from coming.” |
| So whether its Boules or Awa Diedhiou, the West African journalist taking on women’s rights, or Mahasin Ahmad, a professor at the University of Khartoum setting up a women’s network of higher education, the humiliation here lies not with their visa rejections, but with us, who are turning them away. | So whether its Boules or Awa Diedhiou, the West African journalist taking on women’s rights, or Mahasin Ahmad, a professor at the University of Khartoum setting up a women’s network of higher education, the humiliation here lies not with their visa rejections, but with us, who are turning them away. |