- More than half (56%) of Mauritians say that contraceptives should be available to anyone who is sexually active regardless of age (Figure 1). Only about half as many (26%) oppose such a policy. o Men are more likely than women (59% vs. 52%) to favour making contraceptives available regardless of age, as are urbanites compared to rural residents (60% vs. 53%) and more educated citizens (57%-60%) compared to their less educated counterparts (37%) (Figure 2). o Younger respondents (64%) are also more supportive of this view than older cohorts (35%-57%). o Support for the availability of contraceptives regardless of age decreases with respondents’ experience of lived poverty, ranging from 59% among the best-off citizens to 51% among those experiencing moderate or high lived poverty.
- More than four in 10 citizens (43%) say women and girls in their community “rarely” (24%) or “never” (19%) terminate their pregnancies, while about one-fifth (22%) describe this as an “occasional” (17%) or frequent (5%) occurrence. More than one third (35%) of respondents say they don’t know how often pregnancies are terminated or declined to answer the question (Figure 3).
- By solid majorities, Mauritians say terminating a pregnancy is “sometimes” or “always” justified under certain circumstances: if the woman’s life or health is in danger (91%), if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest (82%), or if economic hardship would not allow the mother to take care of the child (61%) (Figure 4). o A slimmer majority (53%) endorse termination if the pregnancy is unwanted.
- Fully three-fourths (75%) of Mauritians say the police and the courts in the country need to do more to protect women and girls from discrimination and harassment in schools, workplaces, and other public spaces, including 39% who say they need to do “much more” (Figure 5).
A majority of Mauritians endorse making contraceptives available to anyone who is sexually active regardless of age, the latest Afrobarometer study shows.
While a plurality of citizens report that pregnancy terminations rarely or never happen, solid majorities say the termination of a pregnancy is justified if the pregnancy poses a health risk or results from rape or incest, or if economic hardship would not allow the mother to take care of the child. A slim majority consider unwanted pregnancy an acceptable justification for the termination of a pregnancy.
Most Mauritians believe that the police and courts should intensify their efforts to protect women and girls from discrimination and sexual harassment.
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