Insecurity: Behind the Decline in Numbers, Tragedies That Question Justice

Insecurity: Behind the Decline in Numbers, Tragedies That Question Justice

Defi Quotidien

Mon 13/10/2025 - 10:54

Statistics show a decline, but the reality remains harsh. While crimes are decreasing, violence is not. Behind the columns of numbers lie shattered lives and families awaiting the truth. Amid pain, taboos, and slow judicial processes, one question arises: what is the value of justice when it takes too long to heal?

According to Statistics Mauritius, the number of offenses dropped from 58,794 in 2023 to 53,331 last year, a decrease of 9.3%, primarily related to property crimes. However, violence persists: 688 cases of sexual violence and 26 intentional homicides have been recorded, resulting in a rate of 2.1 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Last July, Nawsheen Chady was killed by her drug-addicted husband. She leaves behind two children who now live between their two grandmothers. Her mother, Roziffa Eckburally, speaks with a broken voice: "My children are gone… But today, it is her children who are suffering. They have to split their time between one house and another… They come to me; they are here on weekends."

A few months earlier, in December, Priscilla Vencanah fell victim to the blows of a jealous husband in Stanley. Her niece, Adrianna, hopes that justice will finally be served: "We are waiting for a severe punishment to serve as a lesson. Justice must speak, once and for all."

Psychologist Sanjana Gobin notes that these families carry an often unspoken suffering: "The taboos surrounding psychological support still hold back many relatives." She calls for freeing the speech and destigmatizing the request for help.

Criminologist Ashitah Aujayeb Rogbeer goes further: "Excessive delays in handling cases undermine the credibility of the system." She advocates for deep modernization: more magistrates, more prosecutors, and technological investment for a faster and more humane justice.