Human Trafficking in [Mauritius] [other countries]
Street Children in [Mauritius] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Mauritius] [other countries]
 

Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery

Republic of Mauritius [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Republic of Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Island group in the SW Indian Ocean [map]. It is located 500 mi (800 km) E of Madagascar. The island of Rodriguez and two groups of small islands, Agalega and Cargados Carajos, are dependencies of Mauritius. The capital is Port Louis. Mauritius has achieved rapid economic growth and made marked improvements in the well being of its children and young people. Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure.

Mauritius is a source for female children trafficked within the country for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. School girls and young girls from underprivileged areas are induced into prostitution, often by their peers or family members. Taxi drivers are known to provide transportation and introductions to both the girls and the clients. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008 [full country report]

CAUTION:  The following links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Mauritius. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

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U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Mauritius has an estimated 2,600 child prostitutes and is a source and destination country for children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Children are also trafficked internally for exploitation in the sex tourism industry.

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS – The law prohibits trafficking in persons, and in December the legislature amended the Child Protection Act, increasing the maximum punishment for trafficking to 15 years and expanding the definition of trafficking. There were reports that children were trafficked within the country for child prostitution. There were reports that some schoolgirls worked in conjunction with prostitution rings or family members.

Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 2 Status: Free

U.S. Library of Congress - Country Study

Mauritius Human Rights Report

The law prohibits trafficking in children, but does not specifically mention trafficking in adults; however, there were no reports of trafficking in persons in the country during the year.

ECPAT UK Campaigner

CASES:

v A Liberian girl had been forced into domestic work with a family in Mauritius, and kept locked in. She was told that if she came to the UK she would get an education. Instead she was forced into domestic servitude, sexually abused and prostituted.

v A 17 year old Lithuanian girl found in a brothel. She had been there a year.

v A 10 year old Ghanaian girl was bought here for domestic service. At the age of 18 she became pregnant and was thrown out of the house.

Protection Project Country Report [DOC]

MULTILATERAL INITIATIVES - At a March 2004 meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, police chiefs from member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) decided to take strong action against trafficking of children and human organs in the region. The decision came at the end of the 5-day meeting of the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization, under the theme of “Violence against Women and Children.” The SADC includes Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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Human Trafficking in [Mauritius] [other countries]
Street Children in [Mauritius] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Mauritius] [other countries]