Digital Violence: Mauritius Faces Its Unpreparedness
Title: Digital Violence: Mauritius Faces Its Unpreparedness
The tragic suicide of a teenage girl following the circulation of intimate photos highlights the urgent need for action. Amid discussions about social media regulation and digital education, Mauritius is seeking solutions to address this invisible form of violence.
The 17-year-old girl's suicide at the end of October, after her intimate photos were shared on social media, has jolted Mauritius into a harsh reality check. Beyond the emotional turmoil, this tragedy underscores the unpreparedness of a society facing a new kind of violence: that which unfolds behind a screen. Amid calls for regulation and legislative proposals, the country is now striving to fill an educational and institutional void in the face of the digital omnipresence among minors.
The facts are painfully cruel. Initial reports suggest that the images were shared by the victim’s ex-boyfriend post-breakup. Within hours, these images circulated across various platforms, including Telegram, leaving the young girl in a deep state of distress. Those close to her describe a reserved, bright teenager who was very attached to her parents. As an only child, she led an ordinary life until the irreparable occurred.
Aneeta Goorah, the Ombudsperson for Children, states that this case should not be treated as mere sensational news. "It's both shocking and infuriating. With the advent of artificial intelligence, things could become even worse," she remarks.
This tragedy raises a central question: who is responsible for minors’ use of cell phones? The Ombudsperson insists this cannot be overlooked any longer. "Parents must have oversight on what their children are engaging with," she emphasizes.
"Using a mobile phone should not be solely the child's business. Parents need to know who their child is talking to, not to control them, but to understand their environment. Predators are often individuals they interact with regularly. The goal is to educate, understand, and prevent tragedies," she advocates for a structured and preventive digital education.
Social workers confirm a worrying rise in cases of sextortion and sexual blackmail involving adolescents. The ease with which a private photo can be disseminated or exploited turns the internet into a high-risk space. Shame, isolation, guilt... the psychological repercussions are often devastating.
Potential Solutions
The debate took a concrete turn during the program "Au Cœur de l’Info" on Radio Plus, hosted by Patrick Hilbert. Among the guests—Dr. Vedhiyen Moonsamy, Acting Director at the Health & Wellness Directorate of the Ministry of Education, Avni Dussoa and Zaakir Nasroolah, National Advisors at the National Forum for Colleges (Nafco), Hissen Caramben, Research Officer with the Jakarta group, a digital psychology specialist, and online guest Émilie Rivet, a clinical psychologist and COO of Konekte—several proposals emerged, including the idea of monitoring smartphone access time with parental consent.
Émilie Rivet urges taking inspiration from the Australian model: "A national law should establish a minimum age of 16 for accessing social platforms. We can’t hand a smartphone to a 14-year-old without any parental control." She explains, backed by documents and figures, that no fewer than 10,000 youths are addicted to Snapchat, and "1 in 8 girls is approached by predators who coax them into sending images of themselves, supposedly just for chatting, but those same images are later used for nefarious purposes, leading to shame and irreversible consequences."
Hissen Caramben goes further with a radical suggestion: "Introduce a special SIM card for youth that blocks access to social networks during school hours and after 9 PM." When questioned about the feasibility of this proposal, he responds: "Our country has created MauCAS and other applications; why not this?"
On the side of civil society organizations, the urgency is equally palpable. Prisheela Mottee, founder of Raise Brave Girls, speaks of a social drift that transcends mere moral frameworks. "In ignorance, we share. In immaturity, we expose. In vengeance, we destroy," she summarizes.
Between Legislation and Education
For the activist, young girls are often manipulated by emotional pressure or the illusion of love. "What you believe to be a proof of love can become your worst nightmare. In a second, your world can collapse. Scrutinizing gazes, cruel judgments… your life can flip because of a single image," she emphasizes.
Raise Brave Girls calls for a collective response and an urgent reform of awareness practices. Occasional campaigns, often limited to posters or institutional messages, are no longer sufficient. "We must denounce those who request intimate photos, not tolerate them. Trust should not turn into vulnerability. At the Ombudsperson for Children, we demand to be more visible and engaged. To the Minister of Gender Equality: let’s educate both girls and boys. And to the Ministry of Education: let’s open doors for collaboration with NGOs," Prisheela Mottee advocates.
Experts agree on one point: Mauritius is at a turning point. Between technical regulation, parental oversight, and digital education, the country must find the right formula to protect its youth.
Some call for stricter laws; others advocate for the introduction of mandatory classes on cyber citizenship in schools. Everyone agrees that teenagers need to relearn respect for others, to not abuse trust, and to understand the dangers of digital addiction. Because beyond legislation, one reality is clear: smartphones act as drugs. They fascinate, isolate, imprison, and sometimes destroy.
And behind the screen, too many young people continue to pay the price of silence and shame.