Mauritius: Set Rights Agenda for New Government

Johannesburg — Prioritize Displaced Chagossians, LGBT People, Children with Disabilities

Mauritius’ Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam should prioritize human rights in all policy decisions, both domestically and internationally, during his new term, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the prime minister. Ramgoolam won a fourth term in elections on November 10, 2024. He previously served from 1995 to 2000 and 2005 to 2014.

“Ensuring respect for the rights of the Chagossian people in the continuing negotiations with the UK government should be a priority,” said Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The ongoing displacement of the Chagossian people is an ongoing colonial crime against humanity.”

The Chagossians were forcibly displaced to Mauritius and Seychelles by the United Kingdom’s government to allow the United States to build a military base on their island and continue to suffer poverty, stigma, and discrimination half a century later. The Mauritian government along with the US and UK should ensure and honor the rights of all the Chagossian people without any restrictions to return to their islands, Human Rights Watch said. The government should also support the Chagossians’ right to reparations from the UK and US, including reconstruction of the islands so they can live there and ensuring that adequate financial compensation from the UK and US reaches all Chagossians.

The new government should also protect the rights to privacy, freedom of expression and opinion, assembly, and access to information, Human Rights Watch said.

In the days leading up to the 2024 parliamentary elections in November, a series of leaked audio recording of conversations between high profile figures in the then-government or close to it were posted on various social media platforms. The recordings appear to include references to state-sanctioned mass surveillance, a human rights abuse.

In response to the leaks, the government temporarily suspended access to all social media platforms, just days before the election. Such broad and widespread restrictions undermine the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and access to information, which are particularly critical around elections. The shutdown was lifted after 24 hours following widespread criticism.

The new government should avoid blanket limitations on access to the internet and social media platforms. Such restrictions are incompatible with international human rights law and standards, as well as Mauritius’ domestic and international obligations.

The government should also strengthen legal protections and combat discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, Human Rights Watch said. Earlier laws provided some protections, and the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that struck down criminal code provisions outlawing “sodomy” was a landmark decision in advancing the rights of LGBT people in Mauritius. However, LGBT people in Mauritius continue to face a lack of legal recognition for same-sex relationships, reportedly pervasive discrimination, and high levels of violence, homophobia, and transphobia.

The government should enact and enforce comprehensive laws and policies that explicitly protect LGBT people. The government should also undertake public education campaigns to end stigma against LGBT people and work with ministries, institutions, and civil society to raise awareness about sexual and gender diversity.

Another priority should be to protect the right to inclusive education for children with disabilities and advance free education for all children, Human Rights Watch said.

In January 2024, Mauritius guaranteed three years of free preprimary education for all children, in addition to 13 years of free primary and free secondary school, already guaranteed by law, making it a leader in free education globally. The government should support a new proposed optional protocol to the international Convention on the Rights of the Child to strengthen the right to free education for children worldwide, similar to what Mauritius has done domestically.

However, children with disabilities in Mauritius are still not integrated in the mainstream education system and face physical, socioeconomic, and cultural barriers for their full inclusion in schools. As a result of the scarcity of inclusive schools, a disproportionate number of children with disabilities leave school without a certificate.

The government should adopt laws and policies and amend existing laws to ensure a human-rights based approach to quality inclusive mainstream education for children with disabilities. It should create awareness-raising campaigns in schools and beyond, targeting stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities to ensure that children with disabilities can complete their education.

The government should ensure that educational professionals have adequate training to work with children with disabilities, enabling them to provide individualized support and reasonable accommodation based on each child’s educational requirements. The government should ensure the design and delivery of curricula and other materials in accessible formats, including sign language, Easy Read, Braille, and electronic formats.

“Human rights should be at the center of the government’s policy decisions,” said Budoo-Scholtz. “The new government should ensure that it realizes its human rights obligations under domestic and international law while executing its mandate.”

By HRW.