The role of civil society in realising racial and social justice for the Creoles in Mauritius through transitional justice processes

Abstract

In 2009, Mauritius set up a Truth and Justice Commission to investigate the effects of slavery and colonialism on Mauritian society and aim at achieving social justice and unity. From the emancipation period till now, the Creole population has been marginalized and faced discrimination, exclusion, hate speech, and ethnic or racial stereotypes or stigma in education, economic situation, employment, health, housing, and political life. The state has failed to recognize any form of discrimination against and human rights violations of Creoles. Numerous works of literature have discussed the issue of racism and discrimination in the country, but the paper concentrates on identifying their contemporary forms, assessing their impact on Creoles’ economic, social, and cultural rights, and examining the role of civil society in the realisation of transitional justice processes. The aim of this research is to firstly investigate both the positive and negative contribution of civil society in the implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Justice Commission and measures taken to combat racism and discrimination against Creoles.