An Assessment of the Mauritian Legal and Regulatory Measures to Mitigate Domestic Violence in the Wake of COVID-19: A Comparative Study with South Africa

Abstract

Surveys conducted by Statistics Mauritius indicate that cases of domestic violence in Mauritius during the lockdown of 2020 have increased by five-fold as compared to the years 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, 293 cases of domestic violence were reported over a period of 18 days as announced by the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare in April 2021 and 87.3% of these cases had women as victims. While these alarming statistics acknowledge the escalation of domestic violence as a form of social ill, they also trigger the questioning of the efficiency and adequacy of the relevant legal and regulatory measures undertaken by the Mauritian authorities to reduce or eliminate domestic violence in the wake of the current health crisis. Hence, the purpose of this research is to investigate the policy responses and endeavours established by the Mauritius authorities to ensure elimination of domestic violence in Mauritius, to identify loopholes inherent in the present legal provisions and to suggest recommendations to enhance the legal and regulatory framework on women’s protection in Mauritius. A black letter approach and comparative analysis is adopted for this study.