Born into slavery in West Africa, Moulkheir Mint Yarba spent days at a time in the Sahara, tending to her master's herd. "I was like an animal living with animals," she said. In 1981, Moulkheir's home country, Mauritania, became the last in the world to abolish slavery; however, an estimated 10% to 20% of the population still is enslaved. Despite the criminalization of slavery in 2007, only one case has been successfully prosecuted.
To witness slavery first-hand, CNN spent eight days in Mauritania, a complicated place made all the more difficult for outsiders to understand because no one is allowed to talk about slavery. SOS Slaves, one of the few groups fighting slavery in Mauritania today, helps tell the story of Moulkheir's long journey to freedom and her hopes for justice in slavery's last stronghold.
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