The Private Notice Question yesterday was addressed to the Minister Kalpana Koonjoo-Shah, the minister of gender, The Opposition Leader, Xavier Duval wanted details of the number of spousal homicides in 2022, and from January 1, 2023 to date. How many defendants with a history of domestic violence had, previously reported to the authorities under the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act.
According to Kalpana Koonjoo-Shah, victims cannot be coerced into filing a report or pursuing legal action.
“8,600” domestic abuse cases were reported in 2022, according to Xavier-Luc Duval, while “7,000” cases were reported between January and October of this year.
Nonetheless, he stated that 234 Protection Orders were issued in 2022 as opposed to 512 in 2016, citing Statistics Mauritius. “This is a fact”, he noted, with Protection Order issuance down by “more than half”.
According to Kalpana Koonjoo-Shah, the minister of gender equality, victims cannot be coerced into filing a report or pursuing legal action.
“8,600” domestic abuse cases were reported in 2022, according to Xavier-Luc Duval, while “7,000” cases were reported between January and October of this year.
Nonetheless, he stated that 234 Protection Orders were issued in 2022 as opposed to 512 in 2016, citing Statistics Mauritius. “This is a fact”, he noted, with Protection Order issuance down by “more than half”.
She asserts that “we can’t force them to report cases” because most victims are adults.
She went on to say that protection orders, which are granted by “courts of law” at the victim’s request, are equivalent.
She reaffirmed that occupational orders are given by the court and that victims cannot be coerced to take this course of action in response to the decrease in their issuance. The Leader of the Opposition disputed this, saying that such demands belonged to the Ministry’s personnel.
However, the Minister reviewed the steps the government and her department had done to combat domestic abuse, including the formation of a High Level Committee led by the Prime Minister and the development of an app that allowed 3,351
Occupation Orders: according to Xavier Duval , the Ministry has more sympathy for husbands than for women who are victims of domestic violence.
The opposition leader held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. He expressed his concern that only two occupancy orders had been issued. He explained that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare no longer initiates such requests, and that the lawyers do. On the other hand, Xavier Luc Duval asserts that around 80% of cases of violence resulting in the death of a spouse are already known to the authorities. He deplores the fact that the Minister mentioned that only two cases, where there was a history of violence, had been reported to the police, and that she was not aware of any other cases.
