U.S. Department of State 2004 Trafficking in Persons Report - Mauritius

Mauritius (Tier 2)

Mauritius is a source and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Mauritian children are internally trafficked for exploitation in the sex tourism industry. Mauritius has an estimated 2,600 child prostitutes. There are reports that women from Madagascar are trafficked to Mauritius for forced prostitution through the abuse of tourist visas.

The Government of Mauritius does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the year, the government has acted proactively and demonstrated strong political will to combat trafficking in persons within the country. To further its efforts to fight trafficking, Mauritius should strengthen its law enforcement efforts, increase nationwide awareness of child trafficking, and amend existing laws to cover the cross-border dimension of child trafficking and the sale of children.

Prosecution

The government's performance in combating trafficking through law enforcement was weak in 2003. Mauritius continues to lack a law that specifically prohibits all forms of trafficking in persons. The Constitution provides protection against slavery and forced labor. The criminal code makes it an offense to procure, entice, and exploit prostitutes. While it is illegal to engage in sexual intercourse with children under the age of 16, Mauritian law fails to criminalize the prostitution of 16- and 17-year old children. In 2003, the government established a Tourism Police Force to monitor tourist sites for instances of trafficking, as well as victims of the sex tourism trade.

Protection

During 2003, the Government of Mauritius made efforts to improve its protection of trafficking victims. Late in the year, the Mauritius Family Planning Association, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women's Rights, Child Development, and Family Welfare, opened a "Drop-In Center" to rehabilitate children who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, including child prostitutes. Trained child welfare officers offer psychological, medical, and legal assistance as part of an effort to reintegrate the children into society. The Ministry of Women and the Family Protection Unit of the Mauritian Police Force jointly conducted a three-day training for NGOs on combating commercial sexual exploitation of children

Prevention

The government's efforts are strongest in the area of prevention. It has a National Plan of Action on the Protection of Children Against Sexual Abuse including Commercial Sexual Exploitation. In 2003, the Ministry of Women's Rights, Child Development and Family Welfare launched a Child Watch Network, which, through collaboration of social workers, medical practitioners, psychologists, teachers, NGOs and community leaders, conducts surveillance of children who are being abused, including child prostitutes. Under the Ombudsperson for Children Act of 2003, the President appointed an Ombudsman for Children's Issues who is responsible for promoting children's interests, protecting victims of exploitation, investigating complaints of violations, and presenting proposals for preventing trafficking. In 2003, the Ministry of Tourism developed a strategy to discourage child prostitution at tourist destinations. The government sponsored anti-trafficking television, radio, and newspaper advertisements that educated the public about the problems of child prostitution. In addition, the government ran a "training for trainers" program to educate 200 community and youth leaders on how to train others to identify and combat child sexual exploitation, of which child prostitution is a primary element in Mauritius.