Niger: Activists win UK award for fight against slavery

Timidria, an organisation that has spearheaded Niger's anti-slavery movement, is being presented with the 2004 Anti-Slavery Award from Anti-Slavery International. Slavery is an integral part of Niger society. Thousands of people are born into a slave class and are forced to work without freedom or pay throughout their lives. The true scale of slavery across the country only became clear last year, following Timidria's research -- the first national study of slavery to be carried out.