UN Child Rights Committee asks Mauritius to decriminalise abortion

The UN Child Rights Committee (CRC) has asked Mauritius to decriminalise abortion and facilitate access to safe abortion for adolescent girls.

The demand was expressed in the findings and recommendations on implementing the Child Rights Convention issued late this week.

“In light of the insufficient sex education in schools, restricted access to contraception, persistently high adolescent pregnancy rate and prevalence of unsafe abortion in Mauritius, the Committee recommended that the State party decriminalise abortion and facilitate access to safe abortion for adolescent girls,” the CRC said.

It has also asked Mauritius to take measures to ensure children receive confidential and child-friendly sexual and reproductive health information and services, including access to contraceptives.

Deploring the lack of a legal framework based on the human rights model to advance the rights of children with disabilities, the Committee asked Mauritius to urgently finalise the Protection and Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Bill.

Source: United Nations