Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Concluding observations on the initial report of Mauritania *
I.Introduction
1.The Committee considered the initial report of Mauritania at its 668th and 669th meetings, held on 24 and 25 August 2023. It adopted the present concluding observations at its 683rd meeting, held on 5 September 2023.
2.The Committee welcomes the initial report of Mauritania, which was prepared in accordance with the Committee’s reporting guidelines, and thanks the State party for its written replies to the list of issues prepared by the Committee.
3.The Committee appreciates the fruitful and frank dialogue held with the State party’s delegation, which was diverse and multisectoral and which included representatives of the relevant government ministries.
II.Positive aspects
4.The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to promote the rights of persons with disabilities and to implement the Convention since its accession thereto in 2012. It notes with appreciation the ratification, in 2012, of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the adoption and the establishment of the following:
(a)Decree No. 2017-169 on accessibility;
(b)Decree No. 2020-140 establishing the National Observatory on the Rights of Women and Girls;
(c)The strategy on persons with disabilities for 2022 to 2030;
(d)The national action plan on gender-based violence for 2015 to 2018;
(e)The national strategy to eliminate female genital mutilation.
III.Principal areas of concern and recommendations
A.General principles and obligations (arts. 1–4)
5.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The lack of harmonization of national legislation and the policy framework with the Convention, including the human rights-based model of disability;
(b)The use, in laws and policies, of derogatory concepts and terminology concerning persons with disabilities that emphasize a person’s impairments, reflect medical and paternalistic approaches to disability and reinforce stigma against persons with disabilities;
(c)The lack of awareness among policymakers, judges, prosecutors, teachers and medical, health and other professionals working with persons with disabilities about the rights recognized in the Convention, despite the fact that it can be directly invoked in courts.
6. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Harmonize its Constitution, as well as its legal and policy framework on disability, with the provisions of the Convention, by integrating the human rights-based model of disability in to its laws, regulations and policies;
(b) Repeal all sections in legislation, policies and regulations that use derogatory terms and ensure that they conform with the human rights-based model of disability;
(c) Strengthen capacity-building programmes for public policymakers, judges, prosecutors, teachers and medical, health and other professionals working with persons with disabilities on the rights of persons with disabilities and the obligations of the State party under the Convention, and closely consult and actively involve organizations of persons with disabilities in the design and implementation of training for public officials.
7.The Committee is concerned about the lack of participation of persons with disabilities through their representative organizations, including diverse organizations of persons with disabilities, in the design and implementation of disability-related laws, policies and programmes.
8. The Committee recalls its general comment No. 7 (2018) and recommends that the State party strengthen and implement mechanisms for the effective involvement of persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, in public decision ‑ making processes and ensure that meaningful consultations are held with the diverse groups of organizations of persons with disabilities, including those of women and children with disabilities and persons with intellectual disabilities.
B.Specific rights (arts. 5–30)
Equality and non-discrimination (art. 5)
9.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The absence of a comprehensive definition of discrimination against persons with disabilities, encompassing multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination;
(b)The lack of recognition of denial of reasonable accommodation as a form of discrimination on the basis of disability.
10. The Committee recalls its general comment No. 6 (2018) and targets 10.2 and 10.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, and recommends that the State party:
(a) Adopt a comprehensive definition of discrimination on grounds of disability, including multiple and intersectional disability, encompassing age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, language, sexual orientation, nationality and migration status, or any other status, and ensure that persons with disabilities are comprehensively protected from discrimination;
(b) Adopt legal provisions to recognize denial of reasonable accommodation as a form of discrimination in all areas of life and include an express definition of reasonable accommodation that is consistent with article 2 of the Convention.
Women with disabilities (art. 6)
11.The Committee notes with concern:
(a)The insufficient participation of women with disabilities and their representative organizations and groups in decision-making processes in public and political life, in particular in the National Observatory on the Rights of Women and Girls (established by Decree No. 2020-140), and beyond disability-specific consultative bodies and mechanisms;
(b)The failure in the national legislative framework to explicitly address intersectional discrimination against women and girls with disabilities, and the absence of data gathered and research conducted on multiple and intersectional discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities with a view to designing adequate policy responses.
12. The Committee recalls its general comment No. 3 (2016) and targets 5.1, 5.2 and 5.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals, and recommends that the State party:
(a) Engage with organizations and groups of women and girls with disabilities and secure their direct participation in all processes of public decision-making, particularly their representation in the National Observatory on the Rights of Women and Girls, and in the development of all policies regarding gender equality and gender ‑ based violence against women and girls, including domestic violence, forced marriages and trafficking;
(b) Conduct an intersectional analysis of implementation of the Convention with respect to women and girls with disabilities across all policy areas, including education, employment, health and justice, and recognize in national legislation multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination against women and girls with disabilities and adopt specific legislation and strategies that reflect a gender perspective and intersectionality;
(c) Adopt benchmarks and indicators about the progress achieved on inclusive equality for women and girls with disabilities in all areas of life.
Children with disabilities (art. 7)
13.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The stigma, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and inhumane treatment children with disabilities continue to face due to the prejudices and negative stereotypes against them, particularly in rural areas;
(b)Reported cases of exploitation, violence and abuse against children with disabilities, including corporal punishment, in the home, in schools and in institutions, and exploitation through forced begging;
(c)The fact that children with disabilities are not systematically involved in decisions that affect their lives, in particular in rural areas, despite the fact that they have six seats in the Children’s Parliament.
14. The Committee recalls its joint statement with the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the rights of children with disabilities (2022), as well as targets 16.2 and 16.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals, and recommends that the State party:
(a) Adopt measures to combat the stigmatization of all children with disabilities and to ensure that they are protected against multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and that they have access to social and health-care services and an inclusive quality education system, on an equal basis with other children;
(b) Repeal all provisions that allow for corporal punishment, adopt legislation and effective measures to ensure that children with disabilities are adequately protected from exploitation, violence and abuse, including exploitation through forced begging, and that perpetrators are sanctioned, and promote positive, non-violent and participatory forms of child-rearing through awareness-raising campaigns and training programmes, in accessible formats;
(c) Strengthen the implementation of policies, mechanisms and processes to facilitate the effective participation of all children with disabilities and ensure that they are able to express their views freely on all matters concerning them.
Awareness-raising (art. 8)
15.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The persistence of discriminatory attitudes, negative stereotypes and prejudice against persons with disabilities, in particular persons with intellectual disabilities and persons with psychosocial disabilities, in all aspects of life;
(b)The lack of awareness-raising campaigns about the dignity, abilities and rights of persons with disabilities in society and the absence of a long-term strategy for raising awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities and the human rights-based model of disability, with the effective participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, particularly in rural and remote areas.
16. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Adopt a national strategy, in close consultation with and with the active involvement of organizations of persons with disabilities, including organizations of women and children with disabilities, to raise awareness of and combat prejudice against persons with disabilities, in particular persons with intellectual disabilities and persons with psychosocial disabilities, and monitor its effectiveness;
(b) Strengthen training and awareness-raising programmes about the rights of persons with disabilities and the human rights-based model of disability at all levels of education, in public service, in the media and for the general public, in accessible formats, including Braille, sign language and Easy Read, and with the active involvement of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, particularly in rural and remote areas.
Accessibility (art. 9)
17.The Committee notes with concern:
(a)That persons with disabilities face barriers in accessing the physical environment, transportation, information and communications, including information and communications technology, and other facilities and services open or provided to the public, in particular in rural areas;
(b)The insufficient services provided by the sign language interpreter system and the limited availability of speech-to-text technologies.
18. Recalling its general comment No. 2 (2014) and targets 11.2 (to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all) and 11.7 (to provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities) of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Promote the active participation of and close consultation and dialogue with persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, in assessing and enforcing the implementation of accessibility laws, such as Decree No. 2006- 043 and Decree No. 2017-169, and the technical standards adopted, and impose sanctions for non-compliance;
(b) Promote awareness-raising and training for professionals in the construction sectors on the accessibility barriers faced by persons with disabilities and the adequate measures to remove such barriers;
(c) Establish accessibility standards for information and communication media and technologies, as well as websites, in line with universal web accessibility standards and include digital accessibility in the various accessibility and digital transformation action plans;
(d) Review the public procurement of transport facilities and ensure that the specifications include accessibility criteria;
(e) Carry out regular national accessibility studies and surveys, in close consultation with and with the active participation of persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, to assess the situation of accessibility, including by identifying gaps and making recommendations to overcome them.
Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies (art. 11)
19.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The lack of specific and comprehensive protocols for the evacuation of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters, and the persistence of barriers to guarantee reasonable accommodation and accessibility to information, evacuation centres, emergency relief assistance, early warning systems and community needs assessments;
(b)The lack of adequate involvement of persons with disabilities in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation plans, in accordance with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.
20. The Committee recommends that the State party, in close consultation with and with the active involvement of persons with disabilities, and in accordance with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 and Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals, accelerate the adoption of the national strategy for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in disaster situations and d evelop protocols for evacuation in situations of risk, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters that recognize and accommodate the specific requirements of persons with disabilities, and provide reasonable accommodation, accessible information, evacuation centres, emergency relief assistance, early warning systems, community needs assessments and assistive devices in both urban and rural areas.
21.The Committee is concerned about the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on persons with disabilities, in particular persons with disabilities still in institutions and those living with their families, including through domestic violence, in particular sexual violence and abuse, and about the barriers faced by persons with disabilities in gaining access to emergency information and support measures.
22. The Committee recommends that the State party, in accordance with the guidance prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the policy brief prepared by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group on a disability-inclusive response to COVID-19:
(a) Mainstream disability into its COVID-19 recovery plans and other economic and social programmes to tackle the negative impact of the pandemic, and protect persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls with disabilities, from sexual violence and abuse;
(b) Take measures to deinstitutionalize persons with disabilities who are still living in institutions, including in times of emergency, and to provide them with appropriate support to live in the community, in accordance with the Committee’s guidelines on deinstitutionalization, including in emergencies;
(c) Closely involve persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, including organizations of women with disabilities, at all stages of the development and implementation of COVID-19 recovery plans;
(d) Ensure that , in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, all persons with disabilities are able to receive the necessary information in accessible formats and on the appropriate electronic devices.
Equal recognition before the law (art. 12)
23.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The lack of measures to replace substitute decision-making systems with supported decision-making systems that respect the autonomy, rights, will and preferences of persons with disabilities in all areas of life;
(b)The provisions of the Civil Code and the Personal Status Code that constitute the violation and deprivation of the enjoyment and exercise of legal capacity on the basis of disability, as well as the lack of legislation and other policy measures to ensure that persons with disabilities, particularly persons with intellectual disabilities and persons with psychosocial disabilities, enjoy their legal capacity on an equal basis with others, including their capacity to enter into contracts, open bank accounts, take out bank loans and mortgages and marry a partner of their choice;
(c)The lack of data on persons with disabilities still under guardianship, disaggregated by age, sex and type of disability.
24. Recalling its general comment No. 1 (2014), the Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Repeal all legislation that allows for restricted legal capacity and substituted decision-making and adopt legislation to ensure supported decision-making;
(b) Develop awareness-raising campaigns, in consultation with and with the active involvement of persons with disabilities through their representative organizations, for all stakeholders, including the families of persons with disabilities, community members, civil servants, judges, health professionals and social workers, on the recognition of the legal capacity of persons with disabilities and supported decision ‑ making;
(c) Adopt measures to collect data on persons still under guardianship, disaggregated by age, sex and type of impairment, with a view to restoring the full legal capacity of all persons with disabilities.
Access to justice (art. 13)
25.The Committee is concerned that persons with disabilities face barriers in their access to justice, including attitudinal barriers and prejudice among administrative and court personnel, insufficient training of personnel to guide persons with disabilities through complex administrative and judicial proceedings, including criminal proceedings, and a lack of information in such training about the requirements of persons with disabilities.
26. The Committee recalls the International Principles and Guidelines on Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities, which it endorsed in 2020, and target 16.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, and recommends that the State party:
(a) Adopt, in accordance with the Convention, an action plan on access to justice for persons with disabilities, and take the legal, administrative and judicial measures necessary to eliminate all restrictions on the effective participation of persons with disabilities at all stages of administrative and judicial procedures;
(b) Provide age- and gender-appropriate procedural accommodation, including individualized assistance, to ensure that persons with disabilities are able to participate effectively in administrative and judicial proceedings at all stages and in all areas of the law;
(c) Make use of alternative means of information and modes of communication for use throughout administrative and judicial proceedings, such as Braille, sign language, Easy Read and audio and video transcription, apply the principle of universal design and adopt an action plan to ensure physical access to all facilities in which administrative and judicial procedures take place;
(d) Intensify the provision of training on the Convention to administrative, judicial and law enforcement officials, including to judges.
Freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (art.15)
27.The Committee is concerned that:
(a)The State party’s Criminal Code still contains provisions authorizing public stoning to death, whipping and amputation, which – despite the existing legal provisions, such as Act No. 2015-033 on combating torture and slavery and the de facto moratorium on the death penalty– could be used by the courts, and that slavery continues to exist;
(b)The State party continues to impose corporal punishment against persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities;
(c)Female genital mutilation continues to take place, particularly in wilayas,despite the State party’s commitment to eliminate it.
28. With reference to recommendations previously made by the Committee against Torture and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Repeal all provisions permitting public stoning to death, whipping and amputation and strengthen the application of national legislation, policies and practices that prohibit torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of persons with disabilities, and eliminate all forms of slavery;
(b) Abolish corporal punishment against persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, without any exceptions, in all settings;
(c)Strengthen the implementation of national legislation and the national action plan on the voluntary abandonment of female genital mutilation in wilayas, to eliminate this practice, and strengthen awareness-raising campaigns, training and programmes, involving community and religious leaders and the media, government officials , the public and families.
Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse (art. 16)
29.The Committee notes with concern:
(a)The lack of awareness among the general population, including among persons with disabilities, about measures for the protection of persons with disabilities from exploitation, violence and abuse, in all settings, including in the family, at school and in the workplace;
(b)The lack of sufficient measures to ensure the effective implementation of national legislation, policies and strategies to protect persons with disabilities in all settings, particularly older persons with disabilities, women and children with disabilities, persons with intellectual disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities, persons with albinism and refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants with disabilities, from trafficking and all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse;
(c)Reported cases of exploitation of children with disabilities through forced begging.
30. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Take effective measures to raise awareness about the protection of persons with disabilities from exploitation, violence and abuse and ensure that they are provided with information about how to avoid, recognize and report cases of violence, exploitation and abuse; and ensure that persons with disabilities who are victims of exploitation, violence or abuse have access to independent complaint mechanisms and appropriate remedies, including counselling;
(b) Strengthen the implementation of national legislation, policies and strategies to protect persons with disabilities in all settings, particularly older persons with disabilities, women and children with disabilities, persons with intellectual disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities, persons with albinism, and refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants with disabilities, from trafficking and all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse;
(c) Take effective measures to ensure that children with disabilities are adequately protected from exploitation, violence and abuse, including exploitation through forced begging, and that perpetrators are sanctioned.
Liberty of movement and nationality (art. 18)
31.The Committee notes with concern that:
(a)Despite the existing legal provisions on birth registration for all, and the establishment of offices of the National Agency for the Registry of Populations and Secure Documents in the regions, some children with disabilities are still not registered at birth, which hinders the enjoyment of their rights and access to services, including access to the disability card;
(b)Migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees with disabilities, in particular women and girls with disabilities, have limited access to support services and individualized accommodation.
32. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Increase its efforts on raising awareness among parents and the community of the importance of registering the births of their children, including children with disabilities, and regularly organize mobile campaigns to issue birth certificates and identity documents, with the active involvement of persons with disabilities;
(b) Remove all barriers for persons with disabilities, including those living in remote and rural areas, in relation to their enjoyment of the rights to a nationality, birth registration and civil documentation, to enable them to exercise all the rights enshrined in the Convention;
(c) Adopt all measures necessary to ensure that migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees with disabilities, in particular women and girls with disabilities, are granted adequate support services, including gender-sensitive and age-appropriate accommodation.
Living independently and being included in the community (art. 19)
33.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The continued institutionalization of persons with disabilities and the lack of effort, including budgetary and other measures, being made to include persons with disabilities in the community and the provision of all necessary support services, including personal assistance services, as well as the lack of awareness in society and among public authorities of the right of persons with disabilities to live independently and be included in the community, the right to choose where and with whom to live and the right not to be obliged to live in a particular living arrangement;
(b)The absence of a deinstitutionalization strategy for persons with disabilities, including women and children with disabilities placed in existing residential institutions, the lack of programmes for resettling persons with disabilities, in particular persons with intellectual disabilities and persons with psychosocial disabilities, who cannot afford housing.
34. The Committee recalls its general comment No. 5 (2017) and its guidelines on deinstitutionalization, including in emergencies (2022), and recommends that the State party:
(a) Ensure the deinstitutionalization of all persons with disabilities in institutions of any kind and provide community-based services facilitating the full enjoyment by all persons with disabilities of their right to live in the community and to be fully included and participate in the community;
(b) Develop a strategy and an action plan in close consultation with, and with the active involvement of, persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, on the process of deinstitutionalization of those adults and children with disabilities who are still in any residential setting and make community-based services available to enabl e persons to live independently and participate in the community.
Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information (art. 21)
35.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The insufficient provision of information in accessible formats and of information and communications technology, such as Easy Read, plain language, captioning, sign language, Braille, audio description and tactile, augmentative and alternative means of communication, in both public and private media outlets, in particular on the websites that provide public information, and the lack of access to information and communications technology by persons with disabilities;
(b)The insufficient number of accessible private and public websites, as well as captioning, sign language and audio description on television, for deaf, blind, deafblind and partially sighted persons.
36. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Take all necessary measures, including legislative and policy measures, to ensure the accessibility of all public information, including television and media services, for all persons with disabilities in accessible communication formats, such as Braille, deafblind interpretation, sign language, Easy Read, plain language, audio description, captioning and subtitles, by allocating adequate funding for its development, promotion and use, and ensure access to information and communications technology appropriate for the diversity of persons with disabilities, including in rural and remote areas;
(b) Adopt and implement legislative and policy measures aimed at ensuring that television stations provide their programmes in accessible formats, such as captioning, sign language and audio description for deaf, blind, deafblind and partially sighted persons, including ensuring that public and private websites are made accessible;
(c) Provide financial resources, in close consultation with and with the active involvement of representative organizations of persons with disabilities, for the training of qualified sign language interpreters and relevant professionals in the use of tactile, Braille and Easy Read formats and develop a pool of such qualified persons.
Respect for privacy (art. 22)
37.The Committee is concerned about the lack of information related to the laws on data protection and the lack of awareness of persons with disabilities about their rights to data protection and privacy.
38. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Adopt measures to train and sensitize persons with disabilities and their families with regard to the legislation on the protection of personal data;
(b) Raise awareness among persons with disabilities and their representative organ ization s and families on respect for privacy and data protection;
(c) Set up a national strategy, in close consultation with, and with the active involvement of, persons with disabilities through their representative organizations, to ensure respect for their privacy and the protection of their personal data, as well as that of their families.
Respect for home and the family (art. 23)
39.The Committee is concerned about:
(a)The lack of express recognition in the State party’s legislation of the right of persons with disabilities, in particular women with disabilities and persons with intellectual disabilities and persons with psychosocial disabilities placed under guardianship, with respect to family, parenthood and relationships;
(b)The absence of information in accessible formats on the sexual and reproductive rights and health of persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls with disabilities;
(c)The lack of sufficient support for children with disabilities and their families and parents with disabilities to carry out their parental responsibilities.
40. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Remove all obstacles preventing persons with intellectual disabilities and persons with psychosocial disabilities who are deprived of their legal capacity from entering into marriage, exercising their family and parental rights and adopting children on an equal basis with others;
(b) Adopt programmes and policies to provide persons with disabilities, including persons with disabilities living in rural and remote areas, with family planning education in accessible formats and age-appropriate information on sexual and reproductive health;
(c) Adopt legislative and policy measures to ensure support for families of children with disabilities, including support for parents with disabilities, to raise their children in a family setting, especially for those living in rural areas.
Education (art. 24)
41.The Committee is concerned:
(a)About the slow progress achieved towards inclusive education, the prevalence of special schools and classes for students with disabilities and the persistence of barriers to inclusive education faced by children requiring higher levels of support;
(b)That there is insufficient training for educators, teachers and non-teaching staff on the right to inclusive education, and that awareness-raising curriculaare not based on the human rights-based model of disability.
42. The Committee recalls its general comment No. 4 (2016) and target 4.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals, and recommends that the State party:
(a) Develop a strategy for the implementation of quality inclusive education for all students with disabilities, including students with intellectual disabilities, students with psychosocial disabilities and autistic students, with specific targets, timelines and a budget, at all levels of education, including tertiary and vocational education;
(b) Ensure continuous training for educators, teachers and non-teaching staff on inclusive education at all levels, such as training in sign language and other accessible formats of information and communication, including Braille and Easy Read, and ensure that awareness-raising curricula are based on the human rights-based model of disability.
Health (art. 25)
43.The Committee is concerned that:
(a)Persons with disabilities must obtain a disability card to benefit from subsidized health care, and currently only 13 per cent of persons with disabilities in the State party have obtained such a card;
(b)Persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls with disabilities, including women and girls with intellectual disabilities and women and girls with psychosocial disabilities, face barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health-care services, despite the adoption of health protocols, standards and procedures on reproductive health;
(c)Health-care service providers and medical staff lack awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities and there is an absence of accessible forms of communication for users of health-care services;
44. The Committee recalls the links between article 25 of the Convention and targets 3.7 and 3.8 of the Sustainable Development Goals, and recommends that the State party:
(a) Simplify the administrative measures for obtaining the disability card and for becoming affiliated with the social security system, and establish regional and local bodies to facilitate the application and issuance of the disability card;
(b) Provide access for persons with disabilities, in particular women and girls with disabilities, to sexual and reproductive health-care services, on an equal basis with others, and ensure supported decision-making for women with intellectual disabilities and women with psychosocial disabilities to enable them to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights and self-determination;
(c) Develop training for health-care professionals on the rights of persons with disabilities, throughout the territory of the State party, in particular in rural areas, including on their skills, support measures and means and methods of information and communication, and provide information in accessible formats, including Braille, sign language and Easy Read, for persons with disabilities, particularly persons with intellectual disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities and women and girls with disabilities.
Work and employment (art. 27)
45.The Committee notes with concern:
(a)The low rate of employment of persons with disabilities in the open labour market, particularly women with disabilities, the segregation of persons with disabilities in sheltered workshops and barriers to employment faced by persons with disabilities, including the inaccessibility of the physical environment of workplaces and the lack of support and individualized accommodation provided to persons with disabilities;
(b)The attitudinal barriers deterring employers from hiring persons with disabilities, the lack of awareness among employers and the reluctance of employers to provide reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities and to apply universal design standards.
46. The Committee recalls its general comment No. 8 (2022) and target 8.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals, and recommends that the State party:
(a) Strengthen the implementation of national legislation, particularly Decree No. 2015-062, to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to work and employment in the open labour market and are included in private and public work environments, on an equal basis with others, and move towards eradicating sheltered workshops as soon as possible ;
(b) Raise awareness about attitudinal barriers among private and public employers and apply universal design in all work-related environments.
Adequate standard of living and social protection (art. 28)
47.The Committee is concerned that, despite some measures related to social protection, such as cash transfers and distribution of food packages, such measures have not been sufficiently effective in reducing social inequalities, given the barriers to employment and the increased costs often linked to disabilities. It is also concerned that persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls with disabilities living in rural areas, face economic insecurity.
48. The Committee recalls the links between article 28 of the Convention and target 10.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals – both of which seek to promote and guarantee the economic inclusion of all persons with disabilities – and recommends that the State party:
(a) Strengthen its social protection system, to ensure minimum levels of economic security and access to basic support services, including disability-related costs;
(b) Put in place practical measures to ensure that persons with disabilities, in particular women and children with disabilities, including those living in rural areas, have access to appropriate, accessible and affordable mainstream social programmes and services, including adequate food, clothing and housing;
(c) Mainstream disability into poverty reduction strategies that also include specific measures for persons with disabilities, in particular for women, girls and older persons with disabilities.
Participation in political and public life (art. 29)
49.The Committee notes with concern:
(a)The low level of representation of persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities, in political and public decision-making processes and in public life;
(b)The lack of accessibility of polling stations, voting procedures, facilities, print and online material and general information about elections, including public electoral debates and electoral programmes, for persons with disabilities, including persons with visual impairments, persons with hearing impairments and persons with intellectual disabilities.
50. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Promote the participation of persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities, in political and public decision-making processes at all levels and in political life in general;
(b) Ensure that electoral and voting procedures, facilities and print and online election material are accessible in all formats, such as Braille, plain language, Easy Read and sign language, or are available on accessible websites.
Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport (art. 30)
51.The Committee is concerned about the lack of sufficient access for persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, to inclusive sporting, leisure and cultural activities and services. It is also concerned that the State party has not yet ratified the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.
52. The Committee recommends that the State party adopt measures to promote and protect the right of persons with disabilities, particularly children with disabilities, to participate in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport on an equal basis with others, as well as to ratify and implement the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.
C.Specific obligations (arts. 31–33)
Statistics and data collection (art. 31)
53.The Committee notes with concern gaps in the collection of disaggregated data and statistics on persons with disabilities in all areas covered by the Convention. It also notes with concern the lack of systematic and comprehensive research about the living conditions of persons with disabilities and the barriers that they face in exercising their rights.
54. The Committee recommends that the State party use the Washington Group on Disability Statistics short set of questions on disability and the policy marker on the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and that the State party:
(a) Strengthen its system for collecting data on persons with disabilities, disaggregated by age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, income, migration status, level of education, employment situation and place of residence, in all areas of life, ensuring confidentiality and respect for the privacy of persons with disabilities;
(b) Allocate funds to carry out periodic research on the rights of persons with disabilities with the aim of identifying barriers to their implementation;
(c) Support independent research, both quantitative and qualitative, to inform disability-related policies and measures aimed at ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities, and ensure the active involvement of and close consultation with persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, throughout the planning, design and implementation of the data-collection processes.
International cooperation (art. 32)
55.The Committee notes with concern the insufficient consultation with and inclusion of organizations of persons with disabilities, in particular organizations of women with disabilities, as development cooperation partners, in the design and implementation of international agreements and programmes.
56. The Committee recommends that the State party adopt concrete measures to ensure effective participation, inclusion and consultation of persons with disabilities, particularly women with disabilities, through their representative organizations, in international cooperation agreements and programmes, specifically in the monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also recommends that the State party adopt the measures necessary to ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa, adopted in 2018 by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights .
National implementation and monitoring (art. 33)
57.The Committee notes with concern the lack of progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Subcommittee on Accreditation of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, which were made in 2020 during the reaccreditation of the National Human Rights Commission of Mauritania, to further strengthen its mandate in full compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights (the Paris Principles).
58. The Committee recommends that the State party implement the recommendations of the Subcommittee on Accreditation of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions to continue strengthening its efforts to address all human rights violations, to ensure that its website is accessible to all, to advocate for an appropriate level of funding, to ensure the appropriate gender balance in its composition and to engage with civil society, in order to ensure that the National Human Rights Commission of Mauritania functions effectively and independently and discharges its mandate in full compliance with the Paris Principles.
59.The Committee notes with concern that the State party has not designated an independent monitoring mechanism for the follow-up to and evaluation of the implementation of the Convention with a budget and designated functions that involves the effective and independent participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations.
60. The Committee recommends that the State party take action, bearing in mind the guidelines on independent monitoring frameworks and their participation in the work of the Committee, to establish an independent monitoring mechanism with a budget and designated functions for monitoring implementation of the Convention.
IV.Follow-up
Dissemination of information
61. The Committee emphasizes the importance of all the recommendations contained in the present concluding observations. With regard to urgent measures that must be taken, the Committee would like to draw the State party’s attention to the recommendations contained in paragraphs 10, on equality and non-discrimination, 14, on children with disabilities, and 32 , on liberty of movement and nationality.
62. The Committee requests the State party to implement the recommendations contained in the present concluding observations. It recommends that the State party transmit the concluding observations for consideration and action to members of the Government and p arliament, officials in relevant ministries, local authorities and members of relevant professional groups, such as education, medical and legal professionals, as well as to the media, using modern social communication strategies.
63. The Committee strongly encourages the State party to involve civil society organizations, in particular organizations of persons with disabilities, in the preparation of its periodic report.
64. The Committee requests the State party to disseminate the present concluding observations widely, including to non-governmental organizations and organizations of persons with disabilities, and to persons with disabilities themselves and members of their families, in national and minority languages, including sign language, and in accessible formats, including Easy Read, and to make them available on the government website on human rights.
Next periodic report
65. The Committee requests the State party to submit its combined second to fifth periodic reports by 3 May 2030 and to include in them information on the implementation of the recommendations made in the present concluding observations. The Committee also requests the State party to consider submitting the above ‑ mentioned reports under the Committee’s simplified reporting procedure, according to which the Committee prepares a list of issues at least one year prior to the due date set for the report of a State party. The replies of a State party to such a list of issues constitute its report.