Annual Report 2025 - Feminicide: NHRC Calls for a National Register

In response to a series of feminicides occurring in 2025 and early 2026, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) warns of a systemic crisis. In its annual report for 2025, it calls for urgent reforms, denouncing structural failures in prevention, institutional coordination, and victim protection.

A six-month-old infant found alive in a barrel behind the house where her mother had just been murdered. A young woman stabbed multiple times by her partner in the middle of a bus station, in front of witnesses. In just a few weeks at the start of 2026, Mauritius was shaken by two murders of such brutality that they stunned the nation. These tragedies are not mere accidents; they are visible links in a chain that the NHRC refuses to call anything else: a human rights crisis.

In its annual report for 2025, the NHRC presents a stark assessment. Feminicide in Mauritius is not a series of isolated acts committed by exceptional men. It is a systemic phenomenon, fueled by deep institutional flaws, a lack of service coordination, and a collective inability to recognize warning signs before it is too late.

It all began in July 2025. Bibi Nawsheen Chady was beaten to death by her husband. In October, Danaa Laeticia Malabar was killed by her partner, her body found in an abandoned house. A few weeks later, Natasha Vidushi Cornet was found dead in Pamplemousses, with her husband as the prime suspect. Three women. Three husbands or partners. Three murders within months.

Then came 2026. On January 4th, 29-year-old Sivanee Saminaden was killed at her home in Petit-Raffray. Her 24-year-old partner was arrested shortly thereafter. Neighbors reported having seen signs of isolation, distress, and control—signals that are recognized only in hindsight, after it's too late.

A few days later, Electra Coutequel was stabbed at the Mahébourg bus station by her partner. In public. In broad daylight. As if to signify that domestic violence is no longer hidden.

Missed Signals

For the NHRC, these cases share a common thread: feminicide is rarely a spontaneous act. It is part of a lengthy process—coercive control, psychological abuse, progressive isolation, escalation of violence. These are documented, identifiable patterns that institutions could and should have detected. "When these warning signals are not identified, assessed, and addressed within a coordinated institutional framework, the risk of a fatal act significantly increases," the NHRC states.

The brutal question it poses is: were these signals seen? And if so, why weren't they enough to prevent the worst?

Part of the answer lies in a structural gap: Mauritius lacks a centralized national database on feminicides and high-risk cases. Information is scattered among the police, social services, health sector, and NGOs. No one sees the complete picture, and therefore no one can intervene in time.

In light of this assessment, the NHRC makes concrete recommendations: the establishment of a centralized register for feminicides and high-risk cases, risk assessment tools, and rapid intervention protocols. It also advocates for specialized training—police, justice, health, social work—so that field professionals can recognize dynamics of violence before they become deadly.

The Commission also recalls the case of Sandhya Bappoo, killed by her husband several years ago. The review of his sentence by the Commission on the Prerogative of Mercy raised a question that remains unanswered: what message does it send to victims and aggressors when the punishment does not match the crime?

Me Satyajit Boolell, president of the NHRC, expressed it bluntly during the Green Flag Project in November 2025: responsibility does not solely lie with institutions. It also belongs to families, communities, and individuals. To those who see and remain silent. To those who know and do nothing.