Navin Ramgoolam was in Quatre Bornes on Saturday. He was participating in a ceremony organized by the Labour Women’s committee on International Women’s Day, which will be celebrated on 8 March. He recalled that the Labour Party gave free education to Mauritius. Thanks to this measure, according to him, today there are more girls than boys in school and university. He also said that Monique Ohsan-Bellepeau, first Vice-President of the Republic in Mauritius, could have become the first Head of State. “I offered her the position. But she refused.”
The Women’s committee of the Labour Party organized a ceremony on Saturday to mark International Women’s Day, which will be celebrated on 8 March. In his speech, Navin Ramgoolam spoke at length about domestic violence and said that the toughening of the law has not produced the expected results. He therefore made some commitments. First, he said that there will be a Commission against domestic violence. He also announced, if he returns to power, there will be a specialized court, chaired by a female magistrate or former magistrate, to deal with cases of domestic violence, sexual abuse and harassment against women. “There should also be a special desk in police stations to deal with domestic violence cases, as well as a specialized cell and team to do psychological follow-ups,” he said. Navin Ramgoolam’s other measure is that 10% of public contracts will be awarded to companies that have at least 50% female staff.
