UN Human Rights Council 11th Session
Statement by the Delegation of the United States
June 11, 2009
Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you to the Mauritian delegation and H.E. Ambassador Servansing.
The United States would like to recognize the commitment of the Government of Mauritius to promoting human rights, as evident in its efforts to create a culture of human rights through the establishment of a Human Rights Centre and a National Action Plan on Human Rights. As many other delegations have noted, Mauritius has also made significant progress in poverty eradication.
The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Mauritius to continue efforts to promote human rights education, especially for police officers and law enforcement and judicial officials and to carry out investigations into all violations and deaths of persons in custody and in prisons attributable to police officers.
The United States also supports recommendations documented in the Working Group report regarding discrimination against women, and hopes that Mauritius will finalize and adopt soon the Sexual Offenses Bill currently under consideration, as well as ensure that marital rape is deemed a punishable offense in the legal code.
We thank Mauritius for its active involvement as a Member of the Human Rights Council and for its constructive participation in the UPR process.
Thank you.