Africa-Press – Mauritius. In the context of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) organised by the Mauritius National Assembly and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Prime Minister, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, launched a multimedia interactive exhibition this morning at the Sir Harilall Vaghjee Memorial Hall in Port Louis. A pledge was also signed by Dr Ramgoolam and several dignitaries on this occasion.
The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Mr Paul Raymond Bérenger; the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mrs Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra; the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mrs Marie Arianne Navarre-Marie; Ministers and Members of the National Assembly; the UNDP Resident Representative, Mrs Alka Bhatia; as well as other personalities were also present.
In his address Prime Minister Ramgoolam highlighted the need to ensure that GBV recedes or is eliminated. Any responsible Government must devise strong and efficient policies to effectively address this issue, he said.
Mauritius, observed Dr Ramgoolam, is the first country to set up a dedicated Ministry to deal with gender discrimination and adopt strategies to assist victims of gender violence. He commended the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare for the restructuring work carried out to date and recalled that other Ministries are also concerned with the fight against GBV, which cuts across all communities and social strata.
The Prime Minister further conceded that Government alone cannot effectively combat GBV and called for every citizen’s contribution to help eliminate violence against women.
For his part, DPM Bérenger deplored that violence against women is increasing around the world. He also stressed the importance of educating children so as to effectively combat this social scourge and eventually eliminate same.
As for Mrs Aumeeruddy-Cziffra, she underlined that several events will be organised over the next few days to raise awareness against GBV. She outlined the importance of effectively addressing this problem in Mauritius and eventually share some best practices with other countries.
Minister Navarre-Marie, for her part, commended the commitment of the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Gender Caucus for the organisation of this event. She also listed out measures undertaken by the Ministry since the beginning of this year to tackle GBV and stated that this fight is a collective effort.
For her part, Mrs Bhatia observed that ending violence and abuse against girls and women is a collective effort. She moreover reaffirmed UNDP’s support to advocate for a safer digital environment.
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