Communication No. 35/1978

Submitted by: Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra and 19 other Mauritian women on 2 May 1978
Alleged victims: The author and other Mauritian women
State party: Mauritius
Date of adoption of views: 9 April 1981 (twelfth session)

Response, dated 15 June 1983, of the Government of Mauritius to the Committee's views*

1. The Ministry of External Affairs, Tourism and Emigration . . . has the honour to refer to the views expressed by the Human Rights Committee under article 5, paragraph 4, of the optional Protocol to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with regard to communication No. 35/1978.

2. it will be recalled that, in the light of the facts found by the Human Rights Committee as a result of communication No. 35/ 1978, the Committee held the view that the immigration (Amendment) Act of 1977 and the Deportation (Amendment) Act of 1977 were discriminatory in their effects against those three of the nineteen co-authors of the communication who were married to foreign nationals and that the provisions of the two Acts consequently resulted in violations of articles 2, paragraph 1, 3 and 26 of the Covenant in relation to its articles 17, paragraph 1, and 23, paragraph 1.

3. It will also be recalled that the Committee expressed the view that Mauritius, as a State party to the Covenant, should adjust the provisions of those laws so as to remedy the situation.

4. The Ministry of External Affairs, Tourism and Emigration has the honour to request the Secretary-General to inform the Human Rights Committee that the two impugned Acts have now been amended by the immigration (Amendment) Act of 1983 (Act. No. 5 of 1983) and the Deportation (Amendment) Act of 1983 (Act. No. 6 of 1983) which were passed by Parliament on Women's Day, 8 March 1983, so as to remove the discriminatory effects of those laws on grounds of sex.

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* For the Committee's views, see Selected Decisions, vol. 1, p. 67.