Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1993, published 80th ILC session (1993)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Mauritania (Ratification: 1963)

The Committee notes with regret that the reports received do not contain the information requested. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full and detailed information on the following points which the Committee has raised in its previous direct requests:

1. The Committee is aware of the fact that the national legislation that it has been able to examine (the Constitution, the Labour Code, legislation respecting the public service and the education systems) does not contain formal discriminatory provisions and that in a number of cases it prohibits discrimination on the grounds enumerated in the Convention. The Committee recalls, however, that in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention (which provide that national policy is to be designed to promote, by methods appropriate to national conditions and practice, equality of opportunity and mention various types of measures to be taken for this purpose) the fact of the existence of legal provisions prohibiting discrimination or the absence of discriminatory provisions in national legislation is not sufficient to fully implement the objectives of the instrument; but that it is necessary to take action of a positive nature in order to create a situation in which it is possible to promote effective equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment or occupation.

2. The Committee therefore requests the Government to supply in its next report detailed information on the measures taken within the framework of the national policy to promote equality of opportunity and to eliminate discrimination based on race, sex, religion, political opinion and ethnic or social origin with regard to:

(a) access to vocational training;

(b) access to employment and to different occupations; and

(c) terms and conditions of employment.

3. The Committee also wishes to be provided with information on the results obtained from the implementation of this policy and particularly statistics on the distribution of workers (by sex, religion and ethnic group) in the various categories of employment, including the public administration.

4. The Committee also requests the Government, as it has done in its previous comments, to indicate whether the Employment and Vocational Training Office, referred to by the Government in its previous reports, has been set up, and to supply information on the activities of the various vocational training centres and national schools that exist, on the numbers of students attending them and their distribution by sex.

5. The Committee refers to its comments made under Convention No. 29 concerning the abolition of the practice of slavery. It requests the Government, as it did in its previous comments, to supply details on the measures taken with a view to encouraging the equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of vocational training and employment of persons who have been subject to such practices.

The Committee further requests the Government to refer to the observation made on this Convention as regards the representation made under article 24 of the ILO Constitution.