Public Opinion is Clear: Urgent Legislation Required to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation! Read the story

Mauritius

Members

Halley Movement, an ECOSOC registered NGO heading the Pan-Mauritius Coalition, was set up in 1990 and is working for the welfare of children and families in Mauritius and in SADC Africa Region. The main activities of Halley Movement and the Coalition are advocacy, research, training and publication of sensitization materials. Combating CSEC is a major focus of the coalition, which works with other partner NGOs to conduct field activities in the region and Mauritius. Helpline Mauritius (www.helplinemauritius.org) was initiated by Halley Movement in 2012.

Halley Movement & Pan-Mauritius Coalition

Contact: Mr. Mahendranath Busgopaul
Phone: 2305 2514379
Address: 43, Excellence House, Savanne Road, Nouvelle France, Mauritius
Email: Halley@intnet.mu
Website: http://www.halleymovement.org/

Facts

Mauritius is a source, transit, and destination country for children subjected to sexual exploitation, who are induced or sold into sex trafficking, often by their peers and family members.

From 2011 to 2015, 40 cases of child sexual exploitation were reported to Mauritius’ Child Development Unit/Family Support Bureau.

Resources

ECPAT International
Mauritius – Country Overview

Year: 2019

Download

Indicators

Age of Consent

Partial

Age of sexual consent is 16 years. The national legislation does not provide for a close-in-age exemption.

ECO Mauritius, 2019

Extraterritoriality & Extradition

No

Universal jurisdiction is provided for trafficking crimes as long as the foreign offenders have been arrested in Mauritius. It is unclear whether the same applies to other SEC crimes or if double criminality is required.

Extradition requires double criminality and a minimum gravity of 2 years of imprisonment. Extradition of Mauritius citizens may be refused.

ECO Mauritius, 2019

CSAM Definition

No

The national legislation does not provide a specific definition of CSAM.

ECO Mauritius, 2019

Background Check Required

Not Yet Assessed

National Commitments

Partial

Mauritius has ratified the CRC, the OPSC, the Trafficking Protocol and the ILO Convention No. 182.

Mauritius has also ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the AU Convention on Cyber Security.

Mauritius has not ratified the OPIC, the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics and the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote and Budapest Conventions.

ECO Mauritius, 2019

Child Advocacy Centers

Not Yet Assessed

SEC Police Unit

Partial

There are several police units that include SEC in their mandates, mainly the Police IT Unit, the Police Crime Prevention Unit, and the Police Family Protection Unit, which established a ‘Brigade des Mineurs’ that focuses on SEC and especially online child sexual exploitation.
It is unclear whether both offences under national and extra-territorial jurisdiction are able to be addressed by these units, or whether they are fully functional.

ECO Mauritius, 2019

Protection Standards Travel and Tourism

Not Yet Assessed

Public SEC Case Data

No

There is public national case data available on cases of child trafficking (although not disaggregated by purpose of the exploitation), exploitation of children in prostitution and child trafficking.
No information was found on whether this data is made available periodically and whether it contains data on offenders and on compensation sought by child victims.

ECO Mauritius, 2019