The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, Ms Mama Fatima Singhateh, on an official visit to Mauritius from 21 June 2022 to 30 June 2022, met with the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, on Wednesday afternoon, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.
The objective of the Special Rapporteur’s visit to Mauritius is, among others, to assess the progress made by Mauritius in combating and preventing several issues regarding children since the last visit by the mandate in May 2011. These include: the protection of children against sexual exploitation; child marriage; child-trafficking for sexual exploitation; the exploitation of children living in the streets; and the sale of children through illegal adoptions.
During her visit, Ms Singhateh will be meeting representatives of the executive, legislature and judiciary, local and municipal authorities, civil society organisations, members of the international community, and children across Mauritius and Rodrigues.
The Special Rapporteur will close her visit with a press conference to share her preliminary observations with the media. She will equally present a comprehensive report on her visit to Mauritius at a forthcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council.
It is recalled that Ms Mama Fatima Singhateh has been mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to conduct country visits and promote strategies to prevent and combat the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material.
