Mauritius lawmakers vote to criminalise marital rape

Mauritius lawmakers have voted to make marital rape a criminal offence. The island nation passed the law on Tuesday. People found guilty of marital rape will face prison terms of 10 to 45 years.

The law says marriage, whether civil or religious, cannot be used as a defence by a person charged with rape against a complainant. The president is expected to sign the proposed law after it is published in the official gazette.

Attorney General Gavin Glover told parliament that the government recognises domestic violence as a serious offence and not a private matter. Official records cited in the report show that 86.6 percent of domestic violence victims in Mauritius are women.

The law also says people who commit murder or attempted murder against a spouse will face sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.

Foreign Minister Ritish Ramful described the reform as a political choice made despite cultural pressures. He said the new law challenges traditional ideas of marriage in which wives are treated as property.

Equality Now, a women's rights organisation, said only 21 of Africa's 55 countries explicitly criminalise marital rape, while four have domestic violence laws that prohibit sexual violence within marriage. Jean-Paul Murunga, the organisation's associate director, told AFP that many countries remain reluctant to directly criminalise marital rape and said police and judicial systems still treat perpetrators with leniency. He called the step taken in Mauritius positive.