Mauritius

In the Mauritius report, it is noticeable that many points are not addressed, such as asylum and migration, but also mental health or the state of digitalization. On the positive side, education is at a relatively high level and has been free of charge for a long time.

The Committee is concerned at the increase in the sexual exploitation of children, especially child sex tourism. The Committee is also concerned at the lack of systematic and compulsory reporting and investigation of sexual offences against children.

Concerning reproductive health, the Committee recommends to ensure that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education is made part of the mandatory school curriculum and is targeted at adolescent girls and boys, with special attention to the prevention of early pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

In Mauritius, children with disabilities attending schools face rejection and stigmatization. Also, the vast majority of children with disabilities do not benefit from adequate support, and the social stigma, fear and misconceptions surrounding children with disabilities remain strong in society, leading to their marginalization and alienation.
To improve the situation for children with disabilities, the Committee recommends that the State party set up comprehensive measures to develop inclusive education and ensure that inclusive education is given priority over the placement of children in specialized institutions and classes. It should also undertake awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the public and families to combat stigmatization and prejudice against children with disabilities and promote a positive image of children and adults with disabilities.

The Committee is concerned about the prevailing maternal malnutrition and inadequate prenatal care, which are considered to be primary causes of low birth weight. The Committee is also concerned about the very limited measures to treat hepatitis C cases. The Committee therefore recommends that the State party take further measures to address maternal malnutrition, unhealthy lifestyles and inadequate parental care in order to prevent low birth weight. The State party is also encouraged to take measures to improve the nutritional status of infants, children and mothers. The Committee further recommends that the State party ensure the effective treatment of hepatitis C cases, including through immunization.
Concerning adolescent health, the Committee is concerned about the limited impact of sexual and reproductive health education and the absence of drug awareness sessions from the curriculum. They recommend to develop specialized and youth-friendly drug dependence treatment and harm reduction services for children and young people.

The Committee notes with concern that policies and programmes addressing climate change and disaster risk management, such as in the case of cyclones, do not address the special vulnerabilities and needs of children, and that data available to formulate policies do not identify the types of risk faced by children. The Committee recommends as next steps for the State party to ensure that the special vulnerabilities and needs of children, as well as their views, are taken into account in developing policies or programmes to address issues of climate change and disaster risk management and collect disaggregated data identifying the types of risk faced by children due to the occurrence of a variety of disasters.

The Committee is concerned that some children below the age of 18 work in dangerous conditions, including in agriculture, street vending and domestic service.
The Committee recommends that the State party adopt a strategy to combat child labour and, in particular, that it compiles information on child labour, including statistics.

The Committee is concerned about the lack of systematic provision of information to children on their rights when deprived of their liberty and the lack of legal aid for juvenile offenders. Mauritius should improve the situation by restructuring the reform institutions for the rehabilitation of minors in conflict with the law, in particular through the enhancement of education and training for children in rehabilitation centres, and the provision of adequate psychiatric, psychological and social counselling. Also, the Committee recommends to ensure the provision of information to children on their rights when deprived of their liberty, and independent legal aid at an early stage of the procedure and throughout the legal proceedings.

The Committee notes with concern that State officials and regional and municipal authorities are not sufficiently aware of their obligation to promote the implementation of the Convention.

Concluding observations on the third to fifth periodic reports released on 27 February 2015. More information about education in Mauritius: https://govmu.org

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