Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1995, published 82nd ILC session (1995)

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

1. The Committee notes that, in its report, the Government repeats its previous statement concerning the absence of discrimination in national law and practice concerning employment and training, based on the grounds set out in the Convention, particularly sex and race.

The Committee notes, however, that the report does not contain the information that it has requested for several years on the measures taken - and the results obtained - to promote effective implementation of the national policy established by Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention, and points out that the Government's obligations under the Convention do not stop at the adoption of laws or regulations banning discrimination or establishing equality, but imply the adoption and implementation of a national policy which includes affirmative action to promote equal opportunity and treatment in particular with regard to employment and training.

The Committee therefore trusts that in its next report the Government will provide details of the affirmative measures taken or envisaged, in accordance with the Convention and the national legislation, to facilitate and encourage the access of women and disadvantaged ethnic groups (particularly groups that suffered from the practices of slavery before it was abolished) to vocational training and higher education, and the jobs traditionally reserved for men or other ethnic groups and to supervisory and management posts. In this connection, the Committee refers to paragraphs 166 to 169 (where it specifies the concept of affirmative measures and gives example of their implementation) and paragraph 240 of its 1988 General Survey on equality in employment and occupation, in which it stresses that it is difficult to accept statements to the effect that the application of the Convention gives rise to no difficulties or is fully applied, especially when no other details are given on the contents and methods of implementing the national policy on equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation.

2. Noting from the report that the statistical data on the distribution of workers have not yet been updated, the Committee wishes to draw the Government's attention to paragraph 247 of the above-mentioned General Survey in which it indicates that improvement in the means available for compiling information on direct and indirect forms of discrimination based for example on race, colour or sex is indispensable if progress is to be made in the elimination of discrimination and the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment. It therefore again expresses the hope that the Government will provide information with its next report, which gives a clearer indication of the status of women and members of disadvantaged ethnic groups in training and employment, particularly the statistics requested in paragraphs 2 and 4 of its previous direct request.