A former senior consultant at M+R Strategic Services in Washington, D.C., Sean Tenner has led the Chicago, Illinois-based KNI Communications as president since 2008. In leading the company, Sean Tenner provides consulting services to political campaigns and nonprofits working to pass critical human rights legislation. He is particularly passionate about fighting slavery in Mauritania.

Mauritania didn’t abolish slavery until 1981. It was the last country in the world to do so and, while it is now illegal, the practice still exists in the African country. According to the United Nations, between 10 and 20 percent of its 3.4 million citizens are enslaved. Boubacar Messaoud was once a slave in Mauritania and is now president of the country’s most prominent anti-slavery organization, SOS Slaves. He spoke about slavery in Mauritania in 2008 at an event hosted by the Wilson Center.

Slavery in the African country isn’t associated with human trafficking, nor does it conjure images of individuals locked in chains, he stressed. Instead, it is generational. Slaves are generally descendants of slaves. They have some level of freedom, but depend on their masters for financial security. The practice, despite being abolished by the government, has been difficult to completely eradicate due to a variety of cultural factors. masters teach slaves that they will be rewarded in the afterlife for their obedience.