United Nations Human Right Council 11th Session
Geneva, 2 to 19th June 2009.
UPR Mauritius - International Lesbian and Gay Association
Mr President
We commend Mauritius for its leadership, noted in the Working Group report, in supporting the joint statement on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity delivered at the UN General Assembly last December, on behalf of 67 States from all 5 UN regions. Amongst other things, this statement urges States to take all the necessary measures “to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties”.
In this regard, we welcome Mauritius’ acceptance of recommendation 4, to finalise and adopt the Sexual Offences Bill, which will decriminalise sexual activity between consenting adults. Could the delegation indicate the current status of the Bill, and when it is likely to be adopted?
We also commend Mauritius for adopting the Equal Opportunities Act, which prohibits discrimination on grounds including sexual orientation and HIV status.
During UPR discussion, the Attorney-General acknowledged that the human rights training provided to law enforcement and judicial officers has so far not really focused on the rights of persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, and mentioned that technical assistance from other States or organizations would be appreciated in this area. What kind of assistance would be most useful to the government in this regard?
We appreciate the delegation’s constructive engagement in the UPR process, and thank you again for your leadership on these important human rights issues.
We recognize in the government’s response that;
The amendment of section 16 of the Constitution will include new forms of discrimination to be considered.
Thank you very much Mr President.
Geneva, 2 to 19th June 2009.
UPR Mauritius - International Lesbian and Gay Association
Mr President
We commend Mauritius for its leadership, noted in the Working Group report, in supporting the joint statement on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity delivered at the UN General Assembly last December, on behalf of 67 States from all 5 UN regions. Amongst other things, this statement urges States to take all the necessary measures “to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties”.
In this regard, we welcome Mauritius’ acceptance of recommendation 4, to finalise and adopt the Sexual Offences Bill, which will decriminalise sexual activity between consenting adults. Could the delegation indicate the current status of the Bill, and when it is likely to be adopted?
We also commend Mauritius for adopting the Equal Opportunities Act, which prohibits discrimination on grounds including sexual orientation and HIV status.
During UPR discussion, the Attorney-General acknowledged that the human rights training provided to law enforcement and judicial officers has so far not really focused on the rights of persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, and mentioned that technical assistance from other States or organizations would be appreciated in this area. What kind of assistance would be most useful to the government in this regard?
We appreciate the delegation’s constructive engagement in the UPR process, and thank you again for your leadership on these important human rights issues.
We recognize in the government’s response that;
The amendment of section 16 of the Constitution will include new forms of discrimination to be considered.
Thank you very much Mr President.
No comments:
Post a Comment