Republic of Mauritius- Gender-based violence impacts both victims and the country, says PM

The Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, made this statement to the press, today, at the New Treasury Building, in Port-Louis, following the holding of the first High-level Committee on the elimination of gender-based violence.

The Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, has been set up by Government to promote the adoption of a multi-sectoral and holistic approach to address gender-based violence which is a violation of human rights and seriously hinders equality, development and peace.

Several Ministers and high officials from relevant Ministries were present.  A UNDP Consultant, Mr Jason Bayer, gave a presentation and assessed the current situation with regard to the gender-based violence issue.  A second High-Level Committee will be held in the future to allow all stakeholders share their views and decide of the next step.

Prime Minister Jugnauth, in his statement, emphasised that it is important to give necessary attention to address the issue of gender-based violence.  This problem concerns both women and men as well as children, and, if the need arises, measures will be introduced and changes in legislation will be brought in due time, he said.

The Prime Minister indicated that a time-frame to implement measures has not been fixed as the issue is already very complex and vast, especially as different stakeholders are involved, namely Ministries and departments, the civil society, NGOs, as well as the family unit in general.  It is also crucial for all stakeholders to bring in their contribution to the reflection and Government will take the required decisions, he stated.  Moreover, while we can learn from experiences abroad, yet, we have to keep in mind that Mauritius has its own specificities, he further pointed out.

High-level Committee’s mandate and Members

The High-level Committee has as mandate to assess the current state of affairs with regard to the elimination of gender-based violence in terms of legislative framework and its enforcement, policies, procedures and awareness/sensitisation campaign undertaken; and to identify problem areas and formulate a new strategy to eliminate gender-based violence.

Members of the Committee comprise: the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education Tertiary Education, Science and Technology; the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail; the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development; the Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning; the Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity; the Minister of Tourism; the Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security; the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation; the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training; the Minister of Health and Wellness; the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare; the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage; and, the Minister of Public Service, Administrative and Institutional Reforms.