Mauritania is a highly centralised, Islamic republic with a strong presidency. The government consists of the executive branch, the Senate and a National Assembly. The President, re-elected in 2003, was subsequently, while abroad, deposed in a bloodless coup by a junta titled the Military Council for Justice and Democracy, which disbanded Parliament and appointed a transitional government. The junta and the transitional government released an election timeline showing presidential elections due in March 2007. The EU supported the commitments made by the transitional government, and the UN has promised election assistance.

Of the 26 transitional government ministers, 3 are women, as are 2 of the 15 members of the Electoral Commission. Minorities are under-represented in the transitional government. Of the 26 transitional ministerial posts, 2 are held by Haratines, 3 are Pular (also known as Fulani) and 1 is Soninke. The 17-member Military Council has 1 Haratine, 1 Pular, and 1 Soninke. Political parties are not recognised.

The judiciary is subject to pressure from the leadership, as well as being susceptible to social and tribal pressures. Children under age 18 are tried in a special juvenile court. Shari'a law forms the basis of the legal system.

Equality is guaranteed in law, regardless of race, national origin, sex or social status. However, in practice, racial and tribal affiliation, social status and political ties confer privilege.
The Press Act bans publication of any material deemed to contradict or threaten Islam. Reports indicate that police beat and torture suspects, particularly those who lack money or family influence. The police act with impunity. Fiscal mismanagement by the former government is being investigated. Requests for access to information are usually denied.

Persistent drought, widespread desertification, flooding and a locust invasion have caused great difficulty in a poor country. Further burdens arise from urbanisation, high unemployment, poverty and a large foreign debt. When all these are combined with the concentration of wealth in the hands of a small elite and a lack of transparency and accountability, the majority of people suffer greatly. A barter economy exists in some isolated regions.

Freedom of speech and of the press are restricted. Censorship and domination of the broadcast media ensure government control of information. The privately owned press criticised the former government and its leaders, but now says little about the current transitional government. Worldwide television broadcasts are available via satellite receivers for those who can afford them. Material deemed to discredit Islam or threaten national security is banned, but Internet access is not restricted.

Reports indicate that the country is a source, transit route and destination for women and children trafficked for the purpose of forced labour. The government does not assist trafficking victims. Slavery-like practices persist in isolated areas. Young girls work as unpaid housemaids in some urban homes. Young boys (talibes), mostly from Pular tribes, beg as part of an arrangement with some religious teachers (marabouts).

Homosexuality is banned by Shari'a law but not in secular law. Taboos associated with HIV/AIDS result in social exclusion.

At 19% of the national budget, education receives the largest budgetary allocation, and by 2007 implementation of universal primary education is scheduled to be complete. But educational resources are scant, particularly in rural areas. Education is free through university.

Classes are integrated both socially and by gender. Children of slaves can attend school. An effort has been made to increase enrolment of girls. The southern and eastern parts of the country still have lower levels of enrolment. Female technical student enrolment has risen. The literacy rate among women is 32% and among men 52%. Almost all children aged 5 to 7 attend Koranic schools.
NGOs report that the urbanisation of nomadic families has resulted in some 400 street children.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed a number of concerns: only 60% of children attend school; there are significant gender and regional disparities; drop-out and repetition rates are high; the school curriculum is inadequate; the pupil/teacher ratio is high; the enrolment rate in secondary schools is low; school infrastructure is inadequate; too few children receive pre-school education.
The practice of corporal punishment of children in the family is cited as a serious problem. Many of these conditions exist in other countries as well.

A 3-year programme begins at age 3. At this level 78% of education is private. The Gross Enrolment Rate is 2%. Of the 243 teachers working at this level, all are women and all are trained. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 19 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 14. Primary school begins at age 6 and continues for 6 years. 7% of education at this level is private. The NER is 74% (49% female). Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 69% continue to the last grade of primary school. 14% of students repeat grades. There are 9,753 primary teachers (28% female), all of whom are trained. The PTR is 45 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 12 and is completed in 7 years. At this level 10% of education is private. 2% of students in lower secondary and 7% in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. The NER is 14%. 13% of students repeat grades. Secondary teachers total 3,126, with 1,896 (14% female) in lower secondary and 1,341 (10% female) in upper secondary. All secondary teachers are trained. The PTR is 26 : 1 in both lower and upper secondary.

9,292 (24% female) students study in tertiary institutions. 2,042 students study abroad, mainly in USA (1,822), Germany (1,192), France (849), United Kingdom (799) and Saudi Arabia (370).

Discrimination against persons with disabilities is prohibited in education and other state services. Some rehabilitation and forms of assistance for disabled children are available. The treatment of disabled children has been the subject of a National Council for Children report in 2001. Government representatives indicated to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that relevant programmes have been launched with special emphasis on assistance for the mentally disabled. In the capital, Nouakchott, a school for the deaf and the blind operates 10 classrooms for 127 students, though there is a shortage of trained staff.

The law does not provide for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 protocol. The former government had established a system for providing assistance in cooperation with the office of the UNHCR. The UNHCR estimates that there are 15,000 to 20,000 refugees from Senegal in the country, along with some refugees from Liberia and Sierra Leone. The failure to provide identification documents to refugees and their children and to protect the rights of refugee children were issues of concern for the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The persistence of discrimination in the country and, in particular, discrimination against children of minorities was noted as a concern by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. A cultural divide exists between Black Africans and Moors, with the latter further divided into White Moors and Black Moors as well as into tribal and clan groups. White Moors dominate government and business, while Black Moors are politically and economically weak.

The Halpulaar are non-Moors living largely in the south; the Wolof, and the Soninke ethnic groups are under-represented in the military and security sectors. Arabic is the official language and Arabic, Pulaar, Soninke and Wolof are national languages; Governments have pursued a policy of Arabisation in the schools and in the workplace.

Reports do not mention restriction of academic freedom.

Women face discrimination in law, where rules of testimony, property distribution and divorce favour men. In 2004, the National Assembly voted down a proposal to provide women with the same rights as men in divorce. The law requires that men and women receive equal pay for work of equal value, but application of the law varies, though the civil service and the state mining company comply. Women receive 3 months of maternity leave. The transitional government has indicated it will increase employment opportunities for women in non-traditional areas. A woman's first marriage requires parental consent but marriage and divorce do not require her own consent.

Polygyny is permitted without the consent of the wife; it is rare among Moors but common among other ethnic groups. Abuse and domestic violence are illegal, but the law is not enforced. Traditional society relies on family groups to resolve domestic disputes. SOS Esclaves reports that a young girl is sometimes given to a family to receive education in exchange for her work and then the agreement is not honoured so the girl becomes an unpaid servant. Other traditional practices that are reported include gavage, the force-feeding of adolescent girls prior to marriage, a White Moor practice that is lessening. Female genital mutilation is practised by all ethnic groups though it is reported to be decreasing in urban areas.

The minimum age for employment is 14 in non-agricultural sectors, while in agriculture a child aged 13 can work with a special work permit. Child labour is common in the informal sector. Working children aged 14 to 16 years are to be paid 70% of the minimum wage, while those aged 17 and 18 are to earn 90% of the minimum wage. Many young children serve apprenticeships. Girls as young as age 7 work in domestic service. The disparity between the legal minimum age for employment (16) and the age for the end of compulsory education (14) is a cause for concern.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions, except for members of the military and the police. The majority of the force work is in subsistence agriculture and the informal sector. Only 25% of workers are employed in the paid work force. Nearly 90% of industrial and commercial workers are union members. Wages, working conditions and benefits are negotiated in tripartite committees and formalised by decree. Workers have the right to strike, though a union can be dissolved for strike action deemed illegal or politically motivated.

In 2004 an amended labour code instituted maternity leave, and laws were introduced prohibiting forced labour in any form. Forced and compulsory labour as well as slavery are reported to occur, though the government denies that slavery exists. An ILO report in 2004 concluded that the country continued to face challenges in combating forced labour, particularly in the form of forced domestic servitude. The White Moor community in remote regions is reported to expect the servitude of Black Moors. Officially sanctioned slavery does not exist, but voluntary servitude persists, and descendants of slaves continue to work for former masters in exchange for lodging and food.

The minimum monthly wage for adults is US $78 (21 thousand ouguiya) but is not enforced. It would not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. A 40 hour work week applies, except in agriculture and domestic service where the work week is 56 hours.