I am writing as a foreigner currently residing in Mauritius, who was recently the victim of a disturbing and unacceptable crime of sexual harassment. While travelling alone on the public bus midday on a Sunday, an older Mauritian man, who appeared visibly drunk, changed seat in order to take the one next to me, although the bus was not close to full. I completely ignored the man in question, as I have found this to be the best strategy to discourage unwanted advances by males that tend to be quite commonplace in Mauritius.

All of a sudden, to my horror, this man exposed his penis and began to masturbate, looking at me, leaning towards me and mumbling under his breath.

Immediately, I stood up and cried out for help, but no one reacted. The man rushed quickly to the front of the bus and the driver let him off, even though the bus was not at a stop. I ran after, making an attempt to explain to the bus attendants what had just taken place, but I was shocked and not sure how to respond to the situation in a foreign context.

The bus employees expressed their dismay but told me they could do nothing. They also refused my requests to file a complaint with the National Transport Corporation. Subsequently, I proceeded to the police station and reported the incident.

Yet what distresses me perhaps even more than the despicable offence itself was the reaction to this incident. The National Transport Corporation provided me with no concrete assistance, remaining more or less indifferent to what had occurred. The male employees that I approached to inquire about reporting the incident to NTC retained a bemused demeanour and made remarks such as, ?Vous savez, mademoiselle, la culture mauricienne??? One policeman made a comment to the effect of ?Let her report it, if that is what will make her feel better.?? In addition, Mauritian and foreign women alike that I have hence warned, unfortunately recounted similarly appalling incidents they have been victims to in Mauritius ? men masturbating in the bus and the street, at times following women while doing this. I have been told as well that this is the type of crime that is little reported here.

I sincerely hope that Mauritians, male and female, will agree with me when I express my disgust and indignation. Excusing such an incident as an unsavoury aspect of ?Mauritian culture?? is a deplorable justification of such an act that simply allows it to continue unchecked. Unwanted sexual advances and public exposure are unacceptable, and there is no rationalisation that will change this reality. No person should have to tolerate such behaviour, most especially in a public bus that adults but also children and families are required to use for their purposes of transport. Furthermore, this is a crime prohibited by Mauritian legislation, according to the Sex Discrimination Act of 2002, No. 43, Part IV. Needless to say, it is evident that this piece of legislation continues to remain very much on paper. Accounts from other women have equally confirmed that this is not an isolated incident in Mauritius.

The recent and tragic rape of a French diplomat at her home in Pereybère should only serve to reinforce my call for citizens of Mauritius to consciously and publicly denounce acts of sexual violence and sexual harassment and to increase efforts to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. This involves not only enforcement of existing legislation, but also a concerted effort to break existing stigmas relating to the reporting of such crimes, to raise community awareness, to take incidents seriously and to develop a professional protocol to deal with such crimes in all sectors. I hasten to mention that tourism; a fundamental pillar of the economy, for which Mauritians have worked so hard to cultivate the image of an ?île paradis,?? will undoubtedly suffer if these types of crime continue. But more essential still is that no individual, Mauritian or tourist, male or female should be subject to nor should they feel made to ensure this type of conduct, which is both illegal and unacceptable.

It is about time that Mauritians openly condemned sexual violence and sexual harassment. Indifference is tacit acceptance.