Hadizatou Mani (born 1984) is a

Nigerien This article is about the demographic features of the population of Niger, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. The largest ...

human rights activist who fought a legal battle to free herself from

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, and who since her emancipation has acted as an anti-slavery advocate.

Biography

Mani was born in Dogaroua in the

Tahoua Region Tahoua is one of eight Regions of Niger. The capital of the region is the commune of Tahoua. The region covers 106,677 km². Geography Tahoua borders Agadez Region to the northeast, Maradi Region to the southeast, Nigeria's Sokoto State to t ...

of central Niger in 1984. When she was 12, she was sold into slavery for $500. She became her owner's fifth "wife", and had to carry out domestic tasks as well as physical labour. Mani was sexually abused throughout her enslavement and had four children, two of whom survived infancy. In 2003, following international pressure, slavery became illegal in Niger.

Timidria Timidria is the name of an NGO for human rights in Niger, founded by Ilguilas Weila. Timidria is dedicated to the eradication of slavery in Niger. Timidria was formed in 1991 and the name means 'solidarity' in Tamajaq. Niger's government denies t ...

, a Nigerien non-governmental organisation, forced Mani's master to sign a certificate of emancipation for Mani and another of his wives, although Mani was not initially informed that she had been emancipated. Multiple legal battles ensued following Mani's emancipation; the first upheld her freedom, while a second stated that this was not the case. Mani remarried following her initial emancipation, and her former husband accused her of

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

as a result. A final court case in 2008, in which Mani was supported by

Anti-Slavery International Anti-Slavery International, founded as the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839, is an international non-governmental organisation, registered charity and advocacy group, based in the United Kingdom. It is the world's oldest interna ...

and Timidria and presented her case before the court of the

Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political union, political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an ...

, was ultimately successful; ECOWAS subsequently called on its member states to protect their citizens against slavery. Following the final court case, Mani was awarded $20, 000 in damages, and received international attention for her plight, including being awarded an

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

in 2009 from then-

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

and then- Secretary of State,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

named Mani as one of their most influential people of 2009. Despite Mani's legal victory, slavery continues to occur in Niger, and Mani has since become an anti-slavery campaigner and has helped other female victims of slavery through Timidria to challenge their enslavements in legal courts. This included a 2014 court case in which a man was sentenced to four years imprisonment for enslaving a woman. In 2022, Mani was named by the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Biography

References