Donald M. Payne: “I have personally continued to address the issue of slavery throughout the world. I have introduced H. Con. Res. 234…”

“I have personally continued to address the issue of slavery throughout the world. I have introduced H. Con. Res. 234 which calls on both Sudan and Mauritania to stop all overt and covert practices of chattel slavery and all other forms of booty. While acknowledging the prolonged campaign of human rights abuses and discrimination, especially on women and children, the bill commends the Clinton administration for sanctioning Sudan and monitoring acts of Mauritania. Similar proof of the existence of slavery in Mauritania has been provided by a variety of sources, yet at our hearing in March of last year, Assistant Secretary Shattuck reported in the Country Report on Human Rights that no vestiges of slavery existed in Mauritania, even though 3 years prior to the report it stated that 90,000 slaves were repressed at the hands of the government. I just wonder how such a transformation could have taken place without significant reporting and international coverage.”