Africa-Press – Mauritius. Mauritius marked a significant step towards addressing workplace sexual harassment with the official launch, yesterday, of the Research on Sexual Harassment (RoSH) Initiative by the University of Technology, Mauritius (UTM) in Pointe aux Sables.
The national study, titled “Addressing Sexual Harassment in Mauritius’ Tourism Industry: Composite Data for Evidence-Based Policy and Practice”, is the first comprehensive, sector-specific research of its kind in the country and focuses on the tourism industry.
The initiative is funded by the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency under the global Knowledge for Action to End Violence Against Women and Violence Against Children programme, following a highly competitive international selection process.
Led by a multidisciplinary and international research team, the study adopts a people-centred and evidence-based approach, combining surveys, group discussions and stakeholder consultations, including an innovative confidential data collection method. Implemented in collaboration with national institutions, industry bodies and non-governmental organisations, the RoSH Initiative aims to generate reliable data, inform evidence-based policies, develop practical tools for tourism establishments, strengthen national research capacity, and contribute to Mauritius’ commitments under several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The project’s website, https://rosh-initiative.org/, was also launched on the occasion. It serves as a central platform for updates, research outputs, policy briefs and opportunities for collaboration.
The Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mrs Marie Arianne Navarre-Marie; the Director General of the UTM, Dr Dinesh Kumar Hurreeram; and other personalities were present at the launch, which was held under the theme “From Data to Action: Building Safer Workplaces for All.” The Director, Grants, Management and Impact from the SVRI in South Africa, Dr Priti Prabhughate, participated in the ceremony via videoconference.
In her address, Minister Navarre-Marie recalled that the tourism sector contributes 9% of the Gross National Product and employs almost 46,000 workers, of whom 19,000 are women, representing 42% of the workforce. However, she deplored that the industry records some of the highest levels of workplace sexual harassment, largely because many women are employed in customer-facing, insecure and informal positions that increase their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation. “These figures are not merely statistics but reflect the realities of women and men whose dignity, safety and well-being are compromised,” she stated.
The Minister therefore welcomed the UTM’s research initiative which, she said, filled a critical gap by generating, for the first time, sector-specific data on workplace sexual harassment and addressing the urgent need for coordinated, structured and evidence-based action. “Understanding the prevalence and patterns of sexual harassment is indispensable to the formulation of effective public policies, the strengthening of prevention strategies and the improvement of protection, reporting and redress mechanisms for survivors,” she affirmed.
For his part, the Director General of the UTM underlined the role of tertiary institutions in addressing societal issues such as drug abuse, violence and the increasing number of road accidents. He spoke of the obligation and mandate of the UTM for community engagement, notably through the conduct of qualitative and quantitative assessments to better understand these issues and develop appropriate solutions.
According to Dr Hurreeram, the UTM is currently working on six international research projects related to the SDGs, the blue economy and micro-credentials.
