Mauritania to Support Anti-Slavery

Chicago resident Sean Tenner is actively involved in organizations dedicated to social justice and public interest. In addition to being president of KNI Communications, he is also a co-founder of the Abolition Institute, which seeks to end modern-day slavery in Mauritania, a country in West Africa. Sean Tenner’s Abolition Institute recently sponsored a 15-person delegation of Americans to travel to Mauritania to support the anti-slavery movement.

Slavery in Mauritania was abolished in 1981 and criminalized in 2007. Unfortunately, with the anti-slavery laws yet to be enforced, at least 90,000 Haratines are still enslaved. Hereditary slavery has existed in the country for so long that it has become deeply imbedded in the culture. .

The 15-person delegation, which included Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins and his wife Monique, traveled to Mauritania with the purpose of meeting with leaders of the anti-slavery movement and interviewing people who had been previously enslaved. The delegation had a busy schedule, meeting with government officials and former slaves as well as engaging in other activities and visiting various places throughout the country.

 

Some of KNI Communications

Sean Tenner has spent his career working with non-profits involved in public health and human rights issues. As the KNI Communications president, Sean Tenner leads his team in campaign management, issue advocacy, communications, public affairs, and business promotion. They pride themselves on their numerous victories.

One such victory was the passage of four pieces of breast cancer legislation in the Illinois General Assembly. The legislation, which passed by an overwhelming majority, included insurance coverage for breast cancer screenings, insurance coverage for medical costs related to cancer clinical trials, the establishment of numerous crucial new state programs to fight breast cancer, and insurance coverage for potentially lifesaving clinical breast exams.

Another notable victory was working on a bipartisan basis with congressional leaders to obtain $4.5 million in State Department funding to help victims of slavery in the west African nation of Mauritania as well as the surrounding region. Such funding goes a long way to help the anti-slavery movement. Tenner co-founded the Abolition Institute - which works on the issue - in Chicago, IL