Landmark ruling for Slaves in West Africa.

Africa: Its a start as it is unreal this practice is still going on in West Africa.

A west African court has found Niger's government guilty of failing to protect a 12-year-old who was sold into slavery in a landmark decision that may offer hope to thousands of others who are enslaved in the region. Hadijatou Mani, who is now 24, had testified that she had been sold as a slave for around £323 against her mother's wishes and was regularly sexually abused and beaten for a decade. The justice arm of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) also ordered the government to pay Mani the equivalent of £12,310 in compensation. "I am very happy with this decision," she told reporters yesterday outside the court in Niamey, Niger's capital. "I feel that I am a human being like everyone else." Though the court dismissed a second part of the case, which accused the state of legitimising slavery by enforcing customary laws, the ruling is deeply embarrassing for Niger, where slave status is passed down through generations. The government claims to have done all it can to eliminate the practice, but local and international campaign groups say that more than 43,000 people remain in servitude there. Slavery also remains a problem in Mali, Mauritania and Sudan, according to Anti-Slavery International, the British group that helped bring the case to court.