Yemini Judge Signs Legal Transfer of Slave Ownership

Slavery was made illegal in Yemen in 1962. But a judge there recently passed the ownership title for a slave from one master to another, legally and officially. His action has drawn international attention to slavery in Yemen, which is widely practiced and quasi-legal in some areas of the country.

Slavery, and even formal, acknowledged slavery, is not uncommon in Yemen. In the one small town where this legal slave transfer took place alone, residents claim approximately 300 slaves among them. And human rights groups have found that both men and women live in socially-accepted slavery across Yemen. In addition to the traditional slaves, many Yeminis who have been legally freed from slavery are still exploited and trapped in practice. Once freed, for example, a Yemini slave will sometimes go work for his former master. The master will provide his slave (even after legal freedom, the term slave is often used) with food and shelter, but no payment for his work. Whole families live like this for generations, with children born into slavery in practice if not in policy.

One of the major reasons Yemini authorities have been reluctant to address modern-day slavery is the power of rural tribes who have practiced slavery for centuries. These tribes have significant political, social, and religious control, and so the government is often unwilling to go after them for human rights violations. So while slavery in Yemen technically merits a 10 year prison sentence, that sentence is rarely enforced against the worst offenders.

The judge in question maintains that he only approved the legal transfer of a slave because the new owner promised to set him free. But regardless of his intentions, by recognizing the ownership title to a slave he put his stamp of approval on one human being owning another. And there is never a good reason to do that.

Photo credit: Aiace