The documentary that inspired me to write this article was aired on BBC Africa and it was not the first time I had heard of this issue, but when I saw it with the evidence, it struck a code.
I realised that while we talk a lot about the transatlantic slave trade and its legacy, we know little and talk less about the Arab slave trade, which predates the former by centuries and continues to this day, albeit in a different form. So, let’s talk about it.
The History
The trans-Saharan slave trade also known as the Arab slave trade, is one of the oldest slave trades and predates the European transatlantic slave trade by 700 years. Although not much is known about this slave trade, it is estimated that around 10-20 million black Africans were captured and enslaved.
Arab traders transported Africans across the Indian Ocean from East African countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia to countries in the Middle East and South Asia such as modern-day Iraq and India. In addition to the Arabs, African and Oriental traders were also involved in the capture and transport of slaves across the Sahara and the Indian Ocean.
Male and female slaves were acquired and used for different purposes. Male slaves were often used as servants, soldiers or labourers. Female slaves, on the other hand, were used as concubines and servants. In contrast to the European slave trade, the Arab slave trade favoured female slaves and therefore had a higher ratio of women to men.
In More Recent Times
During the second Sudanese civil war, it is estimated that up to 200,000 Sudanese children and women were trafficked into slavery. Although there are only a limited number of slave descendants in the Middle East, mainly due to the mass castration of men by their masters to be eunuchs, there are still some descendants of African slaves living in the Middle East today.
As recently as 2017, international news agencies revealed that many predominantly West African migrants who remained in Libya were captured and sold as slaves. The International Organisation for Migration (IMO) reported that some slave owners demanded ransom money from the families of their captives and that non-payment led to severe consequences, including death.
Female migrants were often sold as sex workers and children were not spared as many of them were raped, whipped, burnt, and electrocuted. In some cases, the kidnappers cut their captives’ Achilles tendons to prevent them from escaping.
As you can see from the above information, the legacy of the Arab slave trade is still alive in some parts of the Arab world. Let us now hear some of the stories of people who are affected by it today.
Their Stories
Joy Simiyu
Joy Simiyu, a 25-year-old Kenyan woman, became a domestic servant in Saudi Arabia in the hope of making a better life for herself and her family, according to an article in the Guardian in 2022. She is one of many travelling to the Gulf region to find work.
She returned to Kenya after being abused by her employer and warned others not to go to Saudi Arabia to work. This abuse has been reported of Gulf countries and includes physical, mental, and sexual abuse of foreign domestic workers. These cases of abuse are not new but have been disclosed for years without any consequences.
Joy was forced to work in various households and was denied food and rest. She was also denied wages, and when she escaped and asked her recruitment agency to find her a new job, they locked her and the other women in a dormitory and demanded sex in return for a new assignment.
Between 2020 and 2021, nearly 90 domestic workers died in Saudi Arabia (SA), allegedly from “cardiac arrest”, according to their officials.
Malawian Woman
In another BBC report in March this year, a woman from Malawi recounted her ordeal working in Oman after being lured there by an agent with the promise of more money. Soon her employer forced her to have sex with him and threatened her with death if she did not consent. He prostituted her to his friends, who paid him to have sex with her.
In desperation, she searched for help on Facebook and a Malawian social media activist saw her post and started researching. She started a Whatsapp group and more than 50 Malawian women working as domestic workers in Oman joined. They shared their horrific stories and reported that many of them had their passports taken away on arrival to prevent them from leaving the country.
There are around two million female domestic workers in the Arab Gulf states, and almost a third of them have reported sexual violence, while half are said to have experienced physical abuse and discrimination.
These abuses are often overlooked due to the kafala labour system in the Middle East, which prohibits domestic workers from leaving their employer no matter how badly they are treated.
Mary Kibawana Kamajo
The last account comes from an Atlanta Star article which stated that more than one domestic worker a week dies in Lebanon, mostly from suicide or botched escapes.
It claims that African domestic workers in the Arab world are subjected to harsh treatment that includes beatings, broken arms, 21-hour workdays, inadequate living conditions and medical care, food deprivation, burns, and more.
In 2016, Mary Kibawana Kamajo, a Kenyan woman, burnt to death after being set on fire with a gas cylinder by her Lebanese boss. In 2017, an Ethiopian housekeeper in Kuwait fell from the balcony of a seventh-floor apartment block because her employer tried to kill her.
Women from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and Kenya are sold like slaves to families by recruitment agencies in Kuwait. Others from Tanzania were subjected to harsh labour conditions in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
In Conclusion
From the accounts above it is clear that the legacy of the Arab slave trade is still alive and well today. Just as in the past, the appetite for women over men is unabated and many die and suffer without their humanity being recognised by the Arab authorities.
On the other hand, African leaders also need to do more for their people. This exploitation continues because these people do not respect Africans; why, you may ask, because we do not respect ourselves. When countries like the Philippines and India heard that their people were being abused in the Middle East, they quickly enacted regulations to protect them.
When African heads of state learn of these abuses, they return workers, often for a fee, or impose temporary bans which are later lifted. I mean, you could argue that returning workers is better than doing nothing, but let’s face it, it doesn’t solve the problem, does it? It’s like taking medication that alleviates the symptoms of a disease but doesn’t cure it.
Back to the Arabs
But back to the Arab leaders: Even if the situations that lead African women to risk their lives to work in the Middle East are not due to the Arabs, it is still imperative for them to investigate and address allegations of abuse in their countries, regardless of the race of the individuals involved.
There is clearly a need for domestic workers in the Gulf states, so my question is; if they are not able to respect the lives of the migrants who come for this work, why don’t they recruit their own people to do it?
As I said before, not enough is being said and learned about the trans-Saharan slave trade and it needs to be brought into the spotlight as much as the transatlantic slave trade, as both were harmful to black people.
A Little Encouragement
African people, sometimes we need to make the grass green where we are because it’s not always greener on the other side. One could argue that it is easy for me to say this when I am not faced with the challenges of scarcity.
But my question is: Would you rather die in your own country, surrounded by those who love you, or in a foreign country, surrounded by those who hate you?
You do not achieve your goal and instead have to endure inhumane acts and even death from people who see you as inferior. In other words, choose your poison and choose well. This is not to say that there are no success stories, but it is to draw attention to this ongoing problem that seems to crop up year after year but is overlooked.
And with that, I’ll leave you with this
“Slavery is not just a historical injustice; it is a living, breathing injustice that affects millions today.”
— Sherry Rehman
