Gender-based violence (GBV) data is needed from various sources to accurately understand the scope of violence against women, men, and children in any setting. Reliable data, ethically obtained, from various sources can be combined to inform the development of sound policies and appropriate programming for survivors of violence.

The GBVO is envisioned as a resource hub for GBV and as a repository of GBV data. The GBV observatory is dynamic and reflects current challenges, contexts, and realities. It aims to hold not only reports from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare (MGEFW) but also efforts from the other government agencies, such as the Police. It contributes to the fulfilment of the mandate to monitor state’s obligations in addressing GBV and in forwarding key policy recommendations.

The Gender-Based Violence Observatory (GBVO) gathers different types of data in order to create a greater humanitarian response to GBV. The data enables the team to obtain a more comprehensive picture of gender-based violence and build an analysis on the situation of violence in Mauritius. The main types of data analysed by the GBVO includes:

Administrative data

Administrative data are secondary data that are collected by the public sector for non-statistical reason. This type of data is reported to administrative authorities by individual persons, legal entities for legal compliance or to access government services. It is generally collected to support planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of administrative programmes.

The GBVO used administrative data from the Crime Records Office, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ministry of Social Security and Solidarity and the Supreme Court of Mauritius. It is crucial to monitor the police, ministries, and justice sectors’ response to violence against women. It also shows the Mauritian state’s willingness to monitor the effectiveness of its law.

Official statistics

Official statistics are sets of numerical data collected by the government and associated government agencies. They are often gathered on a large scale and are a major source of secondary quantitative data. It used by the government and its agencies to make decisions about society and the economy. Official statistics are gathered from various criminal justice agencies, such as the police and courts, and represent the total number of crimes reported to the police or the number of arrests made by that agency. Official statistics on gender-based violence are published by Statistics Mauritius. The GBVO used official statistics on Domestic Violence, types of violence, age, level of education for the last 10 years and this allowed to make historical comparisons and establish trends.

Survey based research

Survey based research is a critical component of measurement and applied social research. It is defined as the collection of information from a sample of individuals with the ultimate goal to uncover insights. Surveys based research have been proven to be one of the most effective methods of conducting research. It helps to gather relevant data from a large audience, which helps to arrive at a valid and objective conclusion.

Through survey-based research, the GBVO conducted face to face interviews. The results were that the interviewers could get survivors of GBV to participate and engage in interview in the most effective way possible, leading to higher response rates and better-quality data on the experience of GBV survivors.

Under-representation of violence against women

Nevertheless, these data have certain weaknesses that questions its reliability. The disadvantage of official statistics, and all secondary sources, is that the data has been collected by somebody else for a different reason and the researcher has no control over the original data collection method. Survey based research has the risk of receiving a dishonest answer as well as it is difficult to capturing a person’s emotional response to the questions. Administrative data may be difficult to access because of confidentiality issues or it may require permissions causing bureaucratic issues and which very often is time consuming.

Despite the existence of data on GBV, it is important to note that accurate data to measure the magnitude of GBV, especially in society or health care institutions, legal, cultural, and social context, remains unknown. The diagram below demonstrates the true picture of the data on GBV by showing the different layers that remains uncovered. The difference between actual prevalence and incidence of violence on one hand, and disclosed violence recorded by sample surveys on the other can be known as the ‘grey zone’, as illustrated below. The figure shows the inability to capture the full prevalence of violence.

Referral Pathway

In Mauritius, survivors are able to report cases of Domestic Violence (or GBV if self-identified) at different points, including through drop-ins and Hotlines at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare (also referred to as LGM) Family Support Bureaux (FSBs), Divisions of the Police Stations and the Brigade pour la Protection de la Famille, or hospitals in some cases (for a fast-track approach if accompanied by an Enforcement Officer). Cases are recorded in the Domestic Violence Information System at the level of the LGM, and manual reporting. Survivors are offered psychological support or mediation through the LGM. Where necessary, survivors and collateral victims are placed in state-supported Shelters (or other identified Shelters) or accompanied through the Criminal Justice System for issue of Orders (See Protection from Domestic Violence Act (1997 & subsequent amendments).