Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Mauritania (Ratification: 1961)
Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 - Mauritania (Ratification: 2016)

Article 2, paragraph 2(c), of the Convention. Prison labour. For many years, the Committee has been drawing the Government’s attention to Decree No. 70-153 of 23 May 1970, issuing the internal rules of prison establishments, of which certain provisions would allow for the possibility of hiring prison labour to private individuals. The Committee recalled in this respect that, under the terms of this provision of the Convention, any work or service exacted from any person as a consequence of a conviction in a court of law is not considered to be forced labour, only where the said work is carried out under the supervision and control of a public authority and that the said person is not hired to or placed at the disposal of private individuals, companies or associations. The Government had previously stated that, in practice, prison labour had never been hired to or placed at the disposal of private individuals. In its last report, the Government indicates that this consists of “internal hiring”, resulting from a conviction in a court of law. The Committee requests the Government to specify whether, following a conviction in a court of law, prison labour may be hired to a private entity (individuals or companies), both inside and outside prison premises.