[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

MAURITIUS (Tier 2 Watch List) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report

The Government of Mauritius does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.  These efforts included partnering with an international organization to adopt SOPs for victim identification and referral; enhancing efforts to screen for trafficking indicators during routine labor inspections; and adopting a 2022-2026 NAP.  However, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, even considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity.  The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) did not prosecute any suspected traffickers under the 2009 anti-trafficking law, nor did courts convict any traffickers.  Police did not report initiating investigation into cases of potential labor trafficking for the second consecutive year.  The government provided minimal services to identified victims and did not officially identify any labor trafficking victims for the third consecutive year.  Protection services available to adult trafficking victims remained inadequate, and the government continued to lack victim-centered approaches in the provision of assistance.  Authorities continued to compel some adult foreign victims to participate in criminal proceedings using threats of deportation and arrest.  Police regularly investigated potential trafficking cases as other crimes with lower burdens of proof, and prosecutors routinely pursued lesser offenses with lesser penalties in cases initially investigated as trafficking.  Courts continued to provide lenient sentences to first-time offenders of many crimes, including trafficking; this approach weakened deterrence and did not adequately address the nature of the crime.  Therefore Mauritius was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List.

Prioritized Recommendations

Using the established victim identification and referral SOPs, systematically and proactively identify trafficking victims, including by screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations – including individuals involved in commercial sex or drug-related crimes, migrant workers, and women and children from underprivileged communities – and refer all trafficking victims to appropriate services.  

Expand the availability of shelters and services to victims of all forms of trafficking – including adult female victims – and allocate adequate resources and staffing for these services.  

Ensure a victim-centered approach to the provision of assistance for all victims identified regardless of immigration status or willingness to participate in criminal proceedings.  

Ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.  

Vigorously increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes under the 2009 anti-trafficking law and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.  

Provide specific anti-trafficking training – including on strong evidence gathering, victim-centered investigations, and victim identification SOPs – to law enforcement officials, labor inspectors, prosecutors, and magistrates.  

Implement a victim witness program to increase protection for victims participating in criminal proceedings and prevent re-traumatization, including receiving victims’ consent to participate in law enforcement procedures.  

Implement and consistently enforce strong regulations and oversight of labor recruitment companies, including eliminating recruitment fees charged to migrant workers and holding fraudulent labor recruiters criminally accountable.  

Strengthen the partnership between police and prosecutors to more efficiently and effectively investigate and prosecute trafficking cases under the 2009 anti-trafficking law.  

Allocate funding for anti-trafficking activities, including implementation of the 2022-2026 NAP.