Articles

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

To: The Care For Children of Mauritius Team
And all those who generously contributed in favour of Xavier

We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for your unfailing support whether morally or financially (£1,300 = Rs 82,255 credited into Xavier’s Account after your fund raising activity of 20 January 07) in response to our appeal in order to help the Speville family, especially Xavier while the latter was under treatment. Your generosity has given Xavier the opportunity to follow his treatment in South Africa for more than three months.

We would like to inform you that Xavier will be shortly transferred to Reunion Island where he will pursue his treatments at St Pierre Hospital, thanks to the kind contribution of the French Government which has accepted to take in charge his treatment.

We just hope that he will recover soon and be back among us so that he could continue his studies as all those of his age.

We thank you once more for your generosity and hope we could always rely on your solidarity.

Sincerely yours,

Ange Gabriel and Rose Delima Spéville
Father and Mother of Xavier

 

Dear all

We are pleased to announce that the fundraising party for Xavier Speville in Dartford, Kent, United Kingdom, on Saturday 20th January 2007, was a success.

The sum of £1300 (GBP Pound Sterling) has been raised, in Mauritian money, that is approximately RS85,000 (MRU Rupees), which will be fully credited to Xavier's bank account back in Mauritius/ Rodrigues, to go towards the cost of his medical expenses in South Africa.

We would like to thank everyone near and far for contributing towards this cause... names would be too many to mention.

A special thank you goes out to "Sammy" who donated £500 towards the funds, which was a major boost to the total amount raised on the night.

We would also like to thank Rosario, the founder of www.cfcom.co.uk (Caring for Children of Mauritius), for his dedication and commitment towards improving the life of the lesser fortunate children of Mauritius, and for his invaluable contribution towards this fundraising.

More special thanks go out to:

1. Mr J (Jacques Roussel) for plugging the cause big time on his radio shows on RadioMoris, Sound Radio and BBC World, which reached a worldwide audience.

2. Zahool, in association with RadioMoris for setting up the website www.xavierspeville.com and for sending out plugs across the worldwide web.

3. Mauritius News for their support of the cause, and for their sponsorship of the event.

4. Sydney and Rajen of www.oceansounduk.com for providing the sound system and music entertainment for the party.

The list is endless... but all in all, thanks to everyone…

If anyone else would like to make any further contributions/ donations towards the Xavier Speville Fund, please do not hesitate to get in touch at oceansounduk@hotmail.com or cfcom.

DJ El-Syd.

 

UNICEF

SAY YES

Mauritius
The Prime Minister of Mauritius launched the Global Movement for Children and the Say Yes campaign on 16 May, at an official ceremony in the presence of several government Ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and some 500 representatives from public institutions, civil society, religious leaders, service clubs, UN agencies, media and children themselves. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the determination of the government to “uphold the rights of children” in Mauritius. A group of children performed a colourful sketch advocating the rights of the child, which they demonstrated in various regions of the island to help promote Say Yes and mobilise other children and young people.
Say Yes has had strong support from government, NGOs and civil society. The Ministry of Education organized a special pledging day in all schools, and designed a special illustrated form for the participation of pre-primary school children. Daily radio spots on Say Yes invited inviting all Mauritians to Say Yes for Children. National NGO CEDEM, in collaboration with their Youth Committee, has been instrumental in mobilising support for the campaign and raising awareness of children’s rights with their production of sketches, costumes and books. On 18 August, 700 people of all ages and from across the island came together for “Everybody is Saying Yes for Children” - an inspiring one-hour show also organized by CEDEM.

Mauritius is an island off the coast of southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean. The capital is Port Louis. In 2004 the population was estimated at 1.2 million people with a growth rate of 0.81 percent. English and French are both official languages, but Creole, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, and Bhojpuri are also spoken.

While Mauritius still has a high external debt of almost one billion pounds, the per capita GDP is one of the highest of developing countries at over two thousand pounds. Mauritius is now considered a middle-income country. HIV/AIDS prevalence is less than .1 percent, ninety-five percent of adolescents are attending school, there is universal access to safe drinking water, and the infant mortality rate has been drastically reduced. The economy does have a heavy reliance on sugar, although there is also a large amount of diversity of services and products. However ten percent of the population is still living under the poverty line and 9.8 percent of people are unemployed.

In 2003, UNICEF ended their programmes in Mauritius so it would be able to add programmes in places more in need. The government and people have shown a great interest in creating programmes for children, and the overall commitment to children is very strong. This does not mean that there are no longer problems for street children in Mauritius. There are still areas of greater poverty and violence, and substance abuse discrimination are still issues throughout the country. Many local programmes also need improved structure and funding.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES
UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE CONVENTION

Concluding observations of the Committee on the
Rights of the Child: Mauritius

1. The Committee considered the initial report of Mauritius (CRC/C/3/Add.36) at its 332nd, 333rd, and 334th meetings, held on 3 and 4 October 1996 (see CRC/C/SR.332-334), and, at its 343rd meeting, held on 11 October 1996, adopted the following concluding observations.

A. Introduction

2. The Committee expresses its appreciation of the report submitted by the Government of Mauritius, as well as of the extensive additional information provided in its written responses to the list of issues (CRC/C.12/WP.6). The Committee is encouraged by the frank tone of the discussion, in which the high-level delegation of the State party recognized the need for improvement in certain areas concerning children.

B. Positive aspects

3. The Committee welcomes the oral and written commitment of the Government of Mauritius to withdrawing its reservation to article 22 of the Convention.

4. The Committee takes note of the establishment in 1990 by Act of Parliament, of the National Children's Council, set up under the aegis of the Ministry of Women's Rights, Child Development and Family Welfare, and welcomes the recent establishment of an interministerial committee on child prostitution.

5. The Committee notes with satisfaction the efforts made by the Government of Mauritius in the field of law reform and especially the adoption, in pursuance of the implementation of the Convention, of the Child Protection Act in November 1994.

6. The Committee welcomes the ratification by the State party of ILO Convention No. 138 on the minimum age for admission to employment (1973).

7. The Committee welcomes the willingness expressed by the delegation to establish an ombudsperson for the rights of the child or another equivalent independent mechanism.

8. The Committee also notes with appreciation that the Government of Mauritius has prepared and implemented the National Programme of Action for the Survival, Development and Protection of Children in response to the recommendations and goals enunciated in the Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the World Summit for Children in September 1990.

C. Factors and difficulties impeding the implementation
of the Convention

9. The Committee is aware of the geographical particularities of Mauritius. The Committee also notes that the population of the State party is mainly composed of immigrants from various continents, with different ethnic origins and cultural backgrounds.

D. Principal subjects of concern

10. The Committee is concerned that the Convention is not an integral part of the national legislation and that national laws and regulations are not fully consistent with the principles and provisions of the Convention.

11. The Committee is concerned at the insufficient attention paid, at both national and local levels, to the need for an efficient monitoring mechanism that could provide a systematic and comprehensive compilation of data and indicators on all areas covered by the Convention and in relation to all groups of children, especially those who are victims of child abuse, ill-treatment or child labour or the administration of juvenile justice, as well as the girl child, children of single-parent families and those born out of wedlock, abandoned, institutionalized and disabled children, and children who, in order to survive, are living and/or working in the streets.

12. With regard to the implementation of article 4 of the Convention, the Committee notes with concern the inadequacy of measures taken to ensure the implementation of children's economic, social and cultural rights to the maximum extent of available resources. The Committee is particularly concerned at the insufficient measures and programmes for the protection of the rights of the most vulnerable children, especially children who are victims of abuse, children of single parents, children born out of wedlock, abandoned children, disabled children, children living in poverty and children who, in order to survive, are living and/or working in the streets. The Committee is also concerned at the lack of disaggregated data in relation to budgetary allocations for children.

13. The State party has not yet taken fully into account in its legislation and policies the general principles of the Convention: non-discrimination (art. 2), the best interests of the child (art. 3) and respect for the views of the child (art. 12).

14. The Committee is concerned about the insufficient measures taken to make the principles and provisions of the Convention widely known to adults and children alike, in conformity with article 42.

15. The Committee is concerned that the education system might not be consistent with the provisions of the Convention regarding the right to education. In this regard, the Committee is deeply concerned at the high school drop-out rates, especially at the end of the primary education level, and at the high rate of illiteracy. It is also worried about the absence of supervision of private schools. The Committee is concerned, in addition, at the difficulties encountered by disabled children in gaining access to regular primary schools.

16. The Committee is concerned that the provisions of the Penal Code relating to protection against sexual abuse, which provide no safeguard for the protection of boy victims, are inconsistent with the principles and provisions of the Convention.

17. Although the employment of children is governed by the 1975 Labour Act which prohibits the employment of children under 15, the Committee notes with deep concern that the 1990 census confirms the existence of working children, in particular on the island of Rodrigues where child labour is common.

18. The Committee is concerned by the reported increase in child abuse, including infanticide, domestic violence and child prostitution and the lack of adequate measures for the psycho-social recovery of child victims of such abuse.

19. While noting with appreciation the establishment of the National Adoption Council, the Committee is concerned about the insufficient safeguards to protect fully the rights of children in the process of international adoption.

20. The situation in relation to the administration of juvenile justice and, in particular, its lack of compatibility with articles 37, 39 and 40 of the Convention, as well as other relevant international standards, is a matter of concern to the Committee.

D. Suggestions and recommendations

21. In the spirit of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights in June 1993, in which States were urged to withdraw reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Committee wishes to encourage the State party to take steps to withdraw its reservation to article 22 of the Convention.

22. The Committee recommends that legislative measures be undertaken to ensure that national legislation conforms with the provisions of the Convention. The Committee encourages the State party to pursue its efforts to strengthen the institutional framework designed to promote and protect human rights in general and the rights of the child in particular.

23. The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen coordination between the various governmental mechanisms involved in children's rights, at both the national and local levels, with a view to developing a comprehensive policy on children and ensuring effective evaluation of the implementation of the Convention in the country.

24. The Committee also recommends that the State party give priority attention to the development of a system of data collection and to the identification of appropriate disaggregated indicators with a view to addressing all areas of the Convention and all groups of children in society. Such mechanisms can play a vital role in systematically monitoring the status of children and evaluating progress achieved and the difficulties hampering the realization of children's rights for all groups. They can be used as a basis for designing programmes to improve the situation of children, particularly those belonging to the most disadvantaged groups, including disabled children, children born out of wedlock, children ill-treated and abused within the family, children who are victims of sexual exploitation, and children who are forced to live and/or work in the streets in order to survive. It is further suggested that the State party request international cooperation in this regard.

25. The Committee encourages the State party to consider the establishment of an independent mechanism, such as an Ombudsperson for the rights of the child.

26. The Committee encourages the Government of Mauritius to pay particular attention to the full implementation of article 4 of the Convention and to ensure adequate distribution of resources at both central and local levels. Budget allocations for the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights should be ensured to the maximum extent of available resources and in the light of the best interests of the child.

27. The Committee recommends that the State party launch a permanent information campaign, for both children and adults, on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Government should consider incorporating the Convention in school curricula and take appropriate measures to facilitate access by children to information produced for them. The Committee suggests that the State party develop a comprehensive training programme for professional groups such as teachers, social workers, doctors, law enforcement personnel and immigration officers. Police officers must be specially trained to deal with child abuse and neglect.

28. The Committee encourages the State party to undertake a comprehensive study on the impact of malnutrition on child development in connection with school drop-out and child labour, and to take all appropriate measures to address this problem. International cooperation could be requested to achieve this task and consideration should be given to the strengthening of cooperation with the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). It is also recommended that the State party encourage and support the establishment of day-care centres at workplaces, to enable children of working mothers to benefit from a healthy development.

29. The Committee recommends that a global study on the quality of the education system be made. In the light of article 2 of the Convention, the Committee also recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to fight school drop-out and to prevent child labour. Measures should be taken to prevent a rise in discriminatory attitudes or prejudice towards girl children and children belonging to minority groups. It is also suggested that sexual education be included in school curricula. It recommends that comprehensive studies be initiated on these important issues to provide better understanding of these phenomena and facilitate the elaboration of policies and programmes to combat them effectively.

30. The Committee also recommends that, in order fully to protect the rights of the child in adoption procedures, the State party consider ratifying the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (1993).

31. In the light of articles 19, 34 and 35 of the Convention, the Committee encourages the State party to take all appropriate measures to prevent and combat ill-treatment of children, including child abuse within the family, corporal punishment, child labour and the sexual exploitation of children, including victims of sexual tourism. The Committee also recommends that the Penal Code be amended in the light of the Convention. Further measures should be taken with a view to ensuring the physical and psychological recovery and rehabilitation of the victims of abuse, neglect, ill-treatment, violence or exploitation, in accordance with article 39 of the Convention.

32. The Committee recommends that the State party envisage undertaking a comprehensive reform of the Juvenile Offender Act in the spirit of the Convention, in particular articles 37, 39 and 40, and of other United Nations standards in this field, such as the "Beijing Rules", the "Riyadh Guidelines" and the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty. Particular attention should be paid to considering deprivation of liberty only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period, to protecting the rights of children deprived of their liberty, to due process of law and to the full independence and impartiality of the judiciary. Training programmes on the relevant international standards should be organized for all professionals involved with the juvenile justice system. The Committee also recommends that the penal law be amended so that adults having sexual intercourse with boys under 16 be considered as a criminal act. The Committee further suggests that the State party consider seeking technical assistance for this purpose from the High Commissioner for Human Rights/Centre for Human Rights and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division of the United Nations.

33. Finally, in the light of article 44, paragraph 6, of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the initial report and written replies presented by Mauritius be made widely available to the public at large and that the publication of the report be considered, along with the relevant summary records and the concluding observations adopted thereon by the Committee. Such a document should be widely distributed in order to generate debate and awareness of the Convention, its implementation and monitoring within the Government, the Parliament and the general public, including concerned non-governmental organizations.

SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country

First talks were held with the government of Mauritius about building an SOS Children's Village in 1988. A government agreement was signed in 1989 and the local SOS Children's Village association was registered that same year. The government welcomed SOS-Kinderdorf International's initiatives and placed a plot of land in Beau Bassin, 20 km south of the capital, Port Louis at their disposal. Construction of the SOS Children's Village was able to begin in 1990.

By 1996 the first youths had reached an age where they were ready to move out into their own SOS Youth Facility located outside the SOS Children's Village. Therefore, eight flats were bought that are about two kilometres from the SOS Children's Village.

Even though Mauritius is a popular tourist destination, there is still much poverty there, especially in the regions that are not frequented by tourists. Even though child-welfare facilities do exist, most of them are sub-standard and there are certainly not enough of them. It was therefore, decided to build another SOS Children's Village on the island. The government made a suitable plot of land available in Bambous, the capital of the Black River Province, 20 km south of the present SOS Children's Village. In November 2003 the first children moved into their new homes. In 2004 a pilot project was started in Bambous to support and strengthen vulnerable children and their families.

At present there are two SOS Children's Villages in Mauritius, one SOS Youth Facility, two SOS Kindergartens and one SOS Social Centre.

MAURITIUS (TIER 2) [Extracted from U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June 2006]

Mauritius is a source country for children internally trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The scope of the trafficking problem is limited to children engaged in prostitution, though numbers of these child trafficking victims are estimated to be in the hundreds. Increases in prostitution are likely the result of school girls engaging in prostitution, possibly with the support of their peers. Other children may be introduced into prostitution through older female family members. Taxi drivers are reported to provide transportation and introductions to both the girls and the clients.

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. To enhance its anti-trafficking efforts, the government should advance comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation, provide additional police training in detecting and responding to instances of trafficking in persons, and expand public awareness-raising efforts on the dangers of children engaging in prostitution.

Prosecution
Mauritius' anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts increased dramatically over the reporting period. In December, the National Assembly passed the 2005 Child Protection Bill which contained comprehensive anti-child trafficking provisions. Funding was granted to increase the manpower and mobility of the Minors Brigade—the police unit responsible for investigating cases of children in prostitution—from five to 25 officers and from one to five vehicles. Despite these additional resources and more vigorous investigations, law enforcement experienced difficulty arresting traffickers. Police conducted numerous raids on clubs and bungalows in Grand Baie, a tourist area where children in prostitution are rumored to be present. During the arrests of females in prostitution, no children were found to be involved. Through other efforts, though, at least six individual perpetrators of child prostitution were arrested and prosecuted during 2005. However, in the absence of an anti-trafficking law at the time of their court appearances, they were prosecuted under lesser criminal offenses; the outcomes of these prosecutions are unknown. In late 2005, a prostitution and child pornography ring was uncovered; the police were unable to find any links to child prostitution. There were no reported investigations or prosecutions of public officials for complicity in trafficking during the reporting period.

Protection
Mauritius improved the publicizing of its available victim services. Although victim protection services are readily available in Mauritius, the government has been hindered, despite increased public awareness and notable law enforcement efforts, in actually providing services to significant numbers of victims by an inability to locate children in prostitution. During the period, it assisted 19 victims of child commercial sexual exploitation by providing counseling at a government-operated child drop-in center, and referred victims in need of housing to government-funded NGO shelters for abused children. The center promoted its services through bumper stickers, a toll-free number, and community outreach. To provide even greater protection for trafficking victims, a fulltime social worker was hired in mid-2005 and placed at the drop-in center. The social worker conducted outreach in the community and in schools, as well as provided counseling to troubled youth. Without a substantial number of identified trafficking victims, the government cannot justify opening a dedicated shelter.

Prevention
The government continued implementation of a national plan of action against child commercial sexual exploitation that included outreach in schools, economic programs to assist impoverished women and children, and training for law enforcement and community leaders. It also funded local NGOs to provide education and public awareness programs on the subject of child commercial sexual exploitation. For instance, one NGO launched anti-prostitution programs in schools, targeting girls who may be exploited in prostitution as a result of their desire for extra spending money rather than as a result of poverty. During the period, collaboration meetings were held between the government, civil society, and NGOs on the problem of child commercial sexual exploitation.

DEVELOPMENT-MAURITIUS:
"MDGs Are Only for Poor Africans"
Nasseem Ackbarally

PORT LOUIS, Dec 14 (IPS) - Six years after the launch of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), many Mauritians still know nothing about them. Some have heard about the goals but are unsure of their significance. Others believe such initiatives concern only poor countries in Africa because "things are different on the small island state".

IPS explored the level of knowledge and attitudes towards the United Nations MDGs by conducting random interviews with people on the streets of the capital, Port Louis, and in villages in the north of the island.

There are eight goals, ranging from "eradicating extreme poverty and hunger" to developing "a global partnership for development". The year 2015 has been set as the target date for fulfilment of many of the goals.

"MDGs -- what is that?" replies Abdool Bassir in Central Market, Port Louis, when asked about the UN goals. This vegetable seller has never heard of the MDGs. Many of those who were stopped for comment responded in a similar way. They ranged from tailors, masons and street vendors to teachers, lawyers, bank officials and government officials.

Some blame the government for not promoting awareness about the goals. Others feel that life is not so bad on the island, "so why should we set goals like in African countries?"

One such person is Farhad Fareedun, a university student who argues that "we are not Africans, we do not live in Africa". After listening to a few of the goals, he emphasises that a lot of progress has been achieved in Mauritius -- be it in health, education or the environment. This makes Mauritius different to "Africa", he believes.

Reshmi Badal, a government official, holds similar views: "In spite of our present economic difficulties, we cannot compare our living conditions to those of people in Africa."

But Jamalludeen Guillaume, chairperson of the Terre Rouge Village Council in northern Mauritius, points out that poverty remains rampant in many areas of the island. One problem is that many poor people do not send their children to school.

While education is compulsory until the age of 16, many poor families do not heed the law -- even though education, school materials and transport for students are all paid for by government. Primary schools also offer food at school to their pupils.

IPS asked Alan Polimond who lives in a village in the north of Mauritius why he does not send his children to school. After a long pause, he says: "I keep on running from one place to another to find small jobs. It is difficult. I have no time to look after them."

Gaillaume believes that "if we do not educate the kids from poor families, they will also become the victims of poverty. With a certificate in primary education in hand they can at least take jobs such as cleaners or messengers, and help their families".

All those interviewed agree that Mauritius still has some way to go in reaching goals such as the ones set out in the MDGs. Environmental degradation features among their concerns.