Address by Ms. Christine N. Umutoni at the Workshop on International Conventions relating to Gender Based Violence

Hon Alan Ganoo, Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail & Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade

H.E. Mr Hemandoyal Dillum, Secretary for Foreign Affairs

Dr Coffi Agossou, International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Office Director for Mauritius

Senior Officials from the Government of Mauritius

Distinguished Participants

Ladies and gentlemen

A Very Good Afternoon to all.

Introduction

I understand that this workshop is in line with the National Strategy and Action Plan 2020-2024 (NSAP) on the Elimination of Gender Based Violence in Mauritius and will help raise awareness among the participants on the international conventions on gender-based violence, signed and ratified by Mauritius as well as the legislative framework and its enforcement, policies and procedures.

Current Status of Gender Based Violence in Mauritius

Violence against women is far more than a violation of basic human rights. It undermines women’s physical and mental health, as well as their ability to participate fully in our society. It is also most often a manifestation of gender inequality within our societies.  Did you know that:

• 1 in 3 women, worldwide, has been subjected to gender-based violence at least once in their life. Most of this violence against women is perpetrated by current or former husbands or intimate partners.
• 137 women are killed by a member of their family every day. It is estimated that of the 87,000 women who were intentionally killed globally, more than half (50,000) were killed by intimate partners or family members.
• Less than 40 % of the women who experience violence seek help of any sort.

I understand that, here in Mauritius, approximately 1 in 4 women have reportedly faced gender-based violence.  The number of gender-based violence cases has actually increased five-fold during the COVID-19 lockdown period of 2020.

This issue is not only devastating for survivors of violence and their families, but also entails significant social and economic costs. With gender-based violence, No one wins; Everyone actually loses. In many countries, violence against women is estimated to cost countries up to 3.7% of their GDP – more than double what most governments sometimes spend on education. It is estimated that in Mauritius, the economic costs of domestic violence to the Government are about Rs 2 billion per year, i.e. approximating 0.6% of GDP.

We need to adopt a holistic approach in order to address gender-based violence.  In that respect, I am pleased to note, that in addition to the legislative frameworks in place to criminalise domestic violence, the Government of Mauritius has recently adopted a National Strategy and Action Plan to eliminate Gender-Based Violence (GBV).  The implementation of the activities under this Strategy and Action Plan will help to address the societal norms and beliefs that are against principles of gender equality; provide the necessary support to survivors of gender-based violence and also improve legal remedies and services. 

Gender-based violence can also occur at the workplace and in that respect the Convention 190 of the International Labour Organisation on violence and harassment in the world of work has specific provisions on gender-based violence and the impact of domestic violence in the world of work.  I wish to congratulate the Government of Mauritius for ratifying the Convention 190 of the ILO, which illustrates the commitment of Government to adopt laws and regulations to define, prohibit and prevent violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment. 

Support of the UN

I wish to reiterate the commitment of the United Nations Family in Mauritius in helping to address the issue of gender-based violence in the country.  Different UN Agencies have provided support in that respect.  For instance,

• The UN in Mauritius has conducted a community engagement campaign with the police mobile response team, targeting some 3,000 people, to sensitize the community on GBV and to promote early reporting
• Technical capacity building was provided to some 2020 facilitators (psychologists, police officers, social workers and probation officers) as part of the Domestic Violence Perpetrator Rehabilitation Programme
• A mobile application with a rapid response Panic Button for immediate protection response has been developed

The UN is ready to further support the Government efforts in implementing the National Strategy and Action Plan to eliminate Gender-Based Violence.

Conclusion

Gender-based violence is today another global pandemic.  But unlike COVID-19, violence against women cannot be stopped with a vaccine. We can only fight it with deep-rooted and sustained efforts – by governments, communities and individuals – to change attitudes, improve access to opportunities and services for women and girls, and foster healthy and mutually respectful relationships.

I am sure that this workshop on International Conventions relating to Gender Based Violence will raise awareness on the international conventions surrounding gender based violence, which can take place in various settings (at the workplace, in the family), and through various forms (physical, moral, verbal) and through various platforms (mobile, internet,..), thereby strengthening our collective efforts to end all forms of violence against women in the country.

Allow me to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade for this initiative and also the International Labour Organisation for the technical support provided in organising this workshop. 

On this note, I wish you all a very fruitful workshop and thank you for your kind attention.