PORT LOUIS (30 June 2022) – Tackling poverty, social exclusion and segregation of children in marginalised communities
is key to preventing them from falling victim of sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation, the UN Special
Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, Mama Fatima Singhateh, said at the end a 10-day visit to
Mauritius.
“My visit to Mauritius came at unique time against a backdrop of the recently promulgated Children’s Act, the Child Sex
Offender Register Act and the establishment of the Children’s Court which has effectively changed the child protection
landscape by creating new and increased responsibilities for virtually all child protection actors,” the expert said in
a statement.
“I am encouraged that the new Children’s Act is largely premised on the overarching principle of the best interests of
the child and on the importance placed on eradicating the scourge of sexual abuse and exploitation. I regret however
that the definition of the sale of children has not been distinguished from child trafficking as a distinct crime.
Regulating the process of adoption is one of the legal means to prevent the sale of children and I encourage the
Government to accelerate the long overdue Adoption Bill and the establishment of the Adoption Agency.
“One child sexual abuse incident is one too many,” said Singhateh. “Effective investigation and prosecution are
indispensable in curbing the culture of silence surrounding child sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation.”
The actual extent and prevalence of various manifestations of the sale of children, child prostitution and child sexual
abuse material, is largely unknown due to the clandestine nature of these offences and further compounded by the lack of
comprehensive, systematically collected, and reliable data.
Despite various positive steps and significant legislative measures in place, there is a lack of a comprehensive
strategy to effectively tackle the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including their root causes, said
Singhateh.
There is a need for effective and sustained sex education in schools, the UN expert said. “Mauritius must be commended
for the remarkable progress made in the field of inclusive education, yet effective sex education in schools is one of
the few interventions the government can take to accelerate efforts to address teenage pregnancies which from my
discussions I understand is a growing problem amongst very young teenagers,” she said.
Mauritius is a well-known tourist destination, yet little is known about the scope and manifestation of child sex
tourism in the country, Singhateh said.
“I note with dismay that officials in this sector are not much sensitized on the issues and manifestation of sexual
exploitation in the context of travel and tourism,” she said. “I also note that there is no explicit legal provision
penalising the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism.”
During her visit, Singhateh met government officials, the Ombudsperson for children, and representatives of civil
society, as well as children. She travelled to Port Louis and Rodrigues.
The Special Rapporteur will present the findings and key recommendations from her visit in a report to the UN Human
Rights Council in Geneva in March 2023.
Ms. Mama Fatima Singhateh (The Gambia) was appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on sale and sexual exploitation of children by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2020. She is a trained lawyer with over 20 years of experience. Ms Singhateh
has held a number of high-level positions in public service in the Gambia. She holds a master’s degree in International
Business Law from the University of Hull and has undergone numerous trainings in child rights programming, arbitration
and mediation, and legislative drafting. She has drafted laws, organized and conducted numerous training sessions,
delivered presentations at both national and international fora and written articles and reports on issues relating to
the promotion and protection of the rights of the child.