registration cards, locate adequate housing, protect their animals from theft, seek legal protection, or access development aid. In 2008, the Tuareg-based human rights group Temedt, along with Anti-Slavery International, reported that "several thousand" members of the Tuareg Bella caste remain enslaved in the Gao Region and especially around the towns of Ménaka and Ansongo. They complain that while laws provide redress, cases are rarely resolved by Malian courts. LGBT rights Societal discrimination based on sexual orientation occurred. Additionally, Mali was one of two countries behind removing specific protection for gays from a UN resolution on executions in 2010. Other social abuses and discrimination Societal discrimination based on persons with HIV/AIDS occurred. Worker rights The right of association The law provides for workers to form or join unions of their choice without previous authorization or excessive requirements, and workers exercised these rights. Only the military, the gendarmerie, and the National Guard were excluded from forming unions. An estimated 95 percent of salaried employees were organized, including teachers, magistrates, health workers, and senior civil servants. The law does not prohibit antiunion discrimination, but there were no reports of antiunion behavior or activities during the year. The right to organize and bargain collectively The law allows unions to conduct their activities without interference, and the government respected these rights. The law provides for the right to collective bargaining, and workers exercised this right freely. Unions have the right to strike, and workers exercised this right. There are no export processing zones. Civil servants and workers in state-owned enterprises are required to give two weeks' notice of a planned strike and to enter into mediation and negotiations with the employer and a third party, usually the Ministry of Labor and State Reforms. The labor code prohibits retribution against strikers, and the government generally enforced these laws effectively. Prohibition of forced or compulsory labor The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by children; however, there were reports that such practices occurred. The law prohibits the contractual use of persons without their consent, and penalties include a fine and hard labor. Penalties increase significantly if a minor, defined as someone less than 15 years of age, is involved. Hereditary servitude relationships continued to informally link different ethnic groups, particularly in the north. There was evidence that members of the black Tamachek community continued to live in forced servitude and were deprived of civil liberties by