Mauritania has made progress in combating slavery, but it still has a long way to go to abolish the practice, according to the UN envoy on the issue on Friday.

Slavery has been officially prohibited in the Sahel country since 1981 and is classified as a crime against humanity, but campaigners claim it still exists.

“Slavery and other similar practices such as forced or child labour… continue to exist in Mauritania,” said Tomoya Obokata, the UN special rapporteur on modern slavery.

“I’m glad to see that Mauritania has been making progress in tackling these practices,” he said.

He said the country had good laws on slavery and similar practices.

But “there still is reluctance and unwillingness on the part of some of the law enforcement authorities to investigate and prosecute slavery and other similar practices,” he added.

Other major challenges included “lack of resources, long delays, light penalties which did not reflect the gravity of offenses and heavy reliance on informal conciliation processes”.

According to government spokesman Mohamed Melainine Ould Eyih, upholding human rights, including combating slavery, are now being treated “objectively and without taboo” in the country.

“The laws have been revised and courts criminalizing slavery created… towards fully abolishing the phenomenon,” he said.