Mauritius reviews national capacities to protect trafficking victims

A validation workshop focusing on the findings of the assessment of national capacities to assist and protect victims of trafficking in persons in Mauritius opened, this morning, in Port-Louis.

The workshop was an initiative of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Mauritius and Seychelles, and was organised under the ‘Enhancing the 4Ps Approach to Counter-Trafficking in Mauritius project’.

Speaking at the opening, the IOM Chief of Mission for Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Alia Hirji, expressed gratitude to all government counterparts and partners for their contribution in increasing the capacity of Mauritius in addressing and assisting in the protection of victims of trafficking in persons. She emphasised that Mauritius had stepped up efforts to strengthening its response.

She noted that while Mauritius’ retention on Tier 2 in the 2026 United States Trafficking in Persons Report highlighted positive progress, key challenges remained in victim protection.

According to her, this assessment came at a pivotal moment, allowing the evaluation of response across prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership. She remarked that Mauritius, being a small country, coming together through shared commitment, knowledge and goodwill could bring forth a huge impact by forming pathways of referral and providing assistance in a timely manner.

Furthermore, Ms Alia Hirji stressed that having a legal framework, guidelines and mechanisms would enhance the availability and quality of services across the continuum of assistance, from early identification to recovery and reintegration.

She reiterated her resolve to helping Mauritius achieve Tier 1 status by fostering a proactive, solution-oriented approach, underlining the need for continued collaboration from all stakeholders involved.

15 October 2026

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Topics: Human Rights