The Mauritian government will next Tuesday table a bill in parliament banning any form of direct or indirect discrimination on the island. According to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Rama Valayden, the Equal Opportunities Bill falls under the 2005-2010 government programme and seeks to modernise the Mauritian society. “This new bill is aimed at ensuring that anyone living in the country gets equal opportunities to achieve their goals in various spheres of activity and not to be wronged because of their age, ethnic origins, colour, race, physical state, cast, marital status, political opinions, belongings or sexual likings,” Valayden explained. The bill mainly provides for the setting up of a Tribunal in charge of addressing complaints for discrimination that will be filed to it by a specialized division to be based at the National Human Rights Commission. Mauritius society and culture is an amalgamation of different ethnic groups who arrived in Mauritius as slaves, labourers, settlers and immigrants over the centuries. The culture of Mauritius is a blend of “English knowledge”, “French culture”, and “Creole egalitarianism”.
