The democratic Republic of Mauritius has an elected President as head of state, a Prime Minister and Council of Ministers who have executive power and a 70-seat National Assembly. In 2005, free and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage, resulted in the Social Alliance ousting the incumbent MMM-MSM.

12 women serve in the National Assembly, and 2 of 20 ministers are women. Candidates for the National Assembly are required to self-identify as one of four ethnic groups; Hindu, Muslim, Sino-Mauritian or general population. The general population consists of Creole and Franco-Mauritian communities. Using this categorisation, the National Assembly has 42 Hindus, 19 general population, 8 Muslims, and 1 Sino-Mauritian; in Cabinet the division is 13 Hindus, 3 Muslims, 3 general population, and 1 Sino-Mauritian.

Discrimination on the basis of race, caste, place of origin, political opinion, colour or sex is prohibited. The provisions are enforced, but discrimination still occurs.

There are reports of police abuse but not of impunity. Corruption is said to exist in government.

Access to government information is provided in law and in practice. Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed. The active media report on a variety of views without restriction. Internet access is not restricted.

Children are reported to be trafficked in the country for prostitution. A 5-year action plan to combat child prostitution is in place.

Changes to the Education Act have increased free, universal and compulsory education to age 16. The majority of children complete secondary education. Over 90% of primary school age students attend school.

In a multilingual country, the language of instruction is a contentious issue. English is the official medium of instruction in schools, and examinations at the secondary level are written through the Cambridge, UK, system. The French language has the status of a semi-official language and is associated with the white population. Creole is the language of general use. Creole is their mother tongue of 71% of the population and is used as a support language in education, though there are few reading materials available in Creole.

Enrolment rates are high, and children who do not obtain their Certificate of Primary Education continue in vocational and technical education. The number of students choosing to attend technical courses is increasing every year. Private schools are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, but the Ministry is entitled to inspect their syllabus. Semi-private schools are run privately, with teachers paid directly by the State; education in semi-private schools is free.

A 2-year programme begins at age 3. At this level 85% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 83%. Of the 2,501 teachers working at this level, all are women, of whom 90% are trained. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 15 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 16. Primary school begins at age 6 and continues for 6 years. At this level 25% of education is private. The NER is 95% (49% female). Of students enrolled in Grade1, 98% continue to the last grade of primary school. 5% of students repeat grades. 5,322 teachers (63% female) work at this level, and all are trained. The PTR is 23 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 11 and is completed in 7 years. 15% of students in lower secondary and 12% in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. The NER is 82%. 12% of students repeat grades. Secondary teachers total 7,433 (55% female). The PTR is 17 : 1.

17,781 students (58% female) study in tertiary institutions, giving a Gross Enrolment Rate of 17%. Tertiary education is free. 7,224 students study abroad, mainly in France (1,893), South Africa (1,732), the United Kingdom (1,646), Australia (860) and India (366).

Discrimination against persons with disabilities is illegal, and the law is enforced. Organisations employing more than 35 persons must dedicate 3% of positions to persons with disabilities. Children with mild forms of disability are integrated into the regular school system, while special facilities cater for children with more severe disabilities, though these facilities are not available in all parts of the country. A Special Education Division will be responsible for services to pupils with special needs. Specialised schools for the blind, deaf and children with other disabilities have worked on a voluntary basis. A new strategy is to be developed.

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, and the government has not established a system for providing protection to refugees. The government does not grant refugee status or asylum on the grounds that the country is small with limited resources.

An integral part of the syllabus is a human values course that encourages understanding among the different ethnic groups of the population and introduces the bases of the island's cultures and religions. 4 main ethnic groups have constitutional recognition: Indo-Mauritians (68%), Creole (27%), Sino-Mauritians (3%) and Franco-Mauritians (2%). The religious composition of the population is Hindu, Christian or Muslim.

The Creole community is socially, economically and politically marginalised and has a lower literacy and a higher drop-out rate in primary school than other communities. Even though primary and secondary education are free, there is a low primary school completion rate among the Creole. A lack of locally trained teachers and poor educational infrastructure and material resources are reported. The Creole population wishes to have the history and culture of Creole people included in primary and secondary education curricula to reinforce and preserve cultural identity.

Reports do not indicate restrictions or violations of academic freedom.

Despite having a subordinate role in society, women have equal access to education, employment and government services. The numbers of women in Parliament and of female ministers have increased. The Sex and Discrimination Act provides some wage protection for women.

Domestic violence is a criminal offence, but spousal abuse remains a problem. Cultural norms stop victims from laying charges. Sexual harassment is prohibited, and the law is enforced. Reports indicate the country is a venue for sex tourism.

The minimum age for employment is 15; employment for ages 15 to 18 is subject to limitations. Child labour occurs, though opportunities are reduced by compulsory education for children to age 16. The labour law is enforced, frequent inspections are made and infractions are charged.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions, except for police, the Special Mobile Force and civil servants. Some 350 unions represent 115,000 workers, who are members of 10 federations. Collective bargaining is permitted. The National Remuneration Board sets minimum wages; unions negotiate higher wages than are set by the Board. The right to strike is permitted, though a strike can be declared illegal if it is deemed a danger the economy. Workers in export processing zones (EPZs) are covered by the labour law, but employer-controlled work councils have been established in EPZs and are seen as efforts to block union organising. Forced or compulsory labour is prohibited, and occurrences are reported to be rare.

The minimum wage for a worker in an EPZ is US$17 (492 rupees) a week, while a factory worker outside an EPZ earns US$22 (644 rupees) per week. Neither wage rate provides a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The market wage for most workers is much higher as a result of collective bargaining.