President of Republic Receives ONDFF Annual Report

On 31 October, in Nouakchott, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic, received the annual report of the National Observatory for the Rights of Women and Girls (ONDFF).

The submission of the report took place during an audience granted by His Excellency the President of the Republic to the ONDFF President, Ms. Mehla Mint Ahmed Talebna.

In a statement to the Mauritanian news agency, Mint Talebna indicated that she handed over to the President of the Republic the ONDFF annual report. She noted that the meeting was an opportunity to remind His Excellency of the ONDFF status and the recommendations contained in the report.

She explained that the report included a summary of the ONDFF’s activities during its first year, in addition to some recommendations on the need to adopt a bill on violence against women and girls after its revision so that its content conforms to the requirements of life, especially since it conforms to the precepts of Islamic teachings and values.

She added that among the recommendations contained in the report is a recommendation regarding the need to develop systems or revise existing laws to include the protection of the rights of children of divorced women, stressing that those live in a difficult situation, because they alone are responsible for the education of their children.

The ONDFF President further stressed that the recommendations also include the legal status of the independency of the Observatory, as well as other important themes which aim, as a whole, to improve the situation of women and girls in Mauritania.

Finally, she affirmed that the ONDFF is a consultative body created to help the government, parliament, and civil society protect the rights of women and girls.