Aminetou Mint Moctar - Mauritania

In 2009, Aminetou Mint Moctar spearheaded highly visible public campaigns to denounce trafficking of young Mauritanian girls to Gulf States and the exploitation of Mauritanian and West African women living in domestic servitude. Because of the work of Ms. Mint Moctar and others like her, the Government of Mauritania now recognizes the existence of these practices. Ms. Mint Moctar has fought for these women - whose voices are not heard in Mauritanian society - to create a legal framework to protect victims and fight impunity. She has been a vocal opponent of the traditional practice of early marriages, which increases girls' chances of being trafficked or sexually exploited. She heads the Association Femmes Chefs de Familles, an organization she founded in 1999 to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence, rape, and slavery. For her work with these sensitive and often taboo issues, Ms. Mint Moctar has been accused of being a bad Muslim and a traitor to her country and has received innumerable threats. But Ms. Moctar continues her dedication and commitment to assisting female trafficking victims and raising awareness about their plight on a national and international level.