Marriage Equality Campaign Gains Momentum in Mauritius After Human Rights Commission Report

A campaign to legalize same-sex civil marriages is gaining momentum in Mauritius, an island nation in East Africa. In July 2026, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) published a position paper stating that the refusal to register such unions could be considered discrimination, and there is no explicit ban on them in the country’s laws.

The campaign, launched in May by the LGBT rights organization OUT Moris, focuses exclusively on civil marriages and does not involve religious institutions. The commission’s report was prompted by complaints from two same-sex couples who were previously denied marriage registration by the authorities. In response, the organization also launched a petition to support the legal recognition of LGBT couples.

The initiative has received backing from the UK-based Peter Tatchell Foundation. The foundation’s executive director, Mauritian-born Pliny Soocoormanee, who entered into a civil union with his partner in the UK last year, called on the government to engage in constructive dialogue with civil society. “We are not asking religious institutions to officiate same-sex weddings or to change their beliefs. We are asking the State to treat its citizens equally,” he was quoted as saying by MambaOnline .

Mauritius is gradually becoming one of the African countries where LGBT rights are protected at the state level. In October 2023, the country’s Supreme Court ruled a colonial-era law unconstitutional, which had carried a penalty of up to five years in prison for homosexual relations. Nevertheless, across the African continent, only South Africa has fully legalized same-sex marriage . Urania previously reported that in July 2026, Cape Verde ranked first among the region’s countries in the Equality Index, placing ahead of Mauritius.