The Child Development Unit (CDU), established in 1995, is responsible for ensuring that the survival, protection, development, and participation rights of every Mauritian child are upheld in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. At the heart of the CDU's mission lies the principle that the best interests of the child must guide all decisions, programmes, and services affecting children.

Mission

• Safeguard and promote children's rights.
• Provide holistic support and protection.
  
• Raise public awareness and understanding of child rights.
• Collaborate across sectors for effective child protection.
  
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Key Objectives

• Prevent and respond to all forms of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
• Deliver counselling, legal, and psychosocial services.
• Advocate for robust child protection legislation.
• Build professional capacity through training.
  
• Promote safe and nurturing environments for children.

Monitor programme outcomes and integrate improvem

Child Protection Services (CPS)

CDU operates through ten regional Child Protection Services offices across the island to provide prompt support to children in distress. Abuse cases may be reported directly at these offices or via the toll-free hotline 113.

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SPECIALISE​D SERVICES

Back to Home Programme

Facilitates the reintegration of children placed in alternative care back into family settings, with ongoing support to ensure safety and developmental continuity.

Rebonding Services

Helps restore emotional connections between children and families following separation through therapy, mediation, and parenting support.

Foster Care

Provides safe and nurturing temporary family environments, matching children with trained foster carers and supporting them through continuous monitoring and counselling

Child Mentoring Scheme

Targets children aged 8–16 experiencing neglect or social distress by linking them with trained mentors via court-ordered Mentoring Orders from the Children's Court.

Child Abduction Section

Focuses on prevention, rapid response, recovery, and support in child abduction cases. Collaborates with law enforcement and international bodies

Child Abduction Section

The Child Abduction Section of the Child Development Unit is dedicated to preventing and responding to cases of child abduction, whether domestic or cross-border, with the overarching goal of ensuring children's safety and family reunification.

Objectives:

• Prevent Child Abduction: Implement strategies and raise awareness to reduce risks of abduction within Mauritius and beyond.
• Respond Effectively to Incidents: Ensure rapid, coordinated responses when abductions occur.
• Support Affected Families: Offer ongoing assistance to families whose children are missing or have been abducted.
  
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Key Activities:

1. Community Outreach: Engage with communities to raise awareness about abduction risks and prevention strategies.
2. Rapid Response Team: Maintain a dedicated response unit to handle incoming reports of child abduction swiftly and efficiently.
3. Law Enforcement Coordination: Work closely with the Police and other law enforcement bodies for recovery operations and legal procedures.
4. Cross-Border Collaboration: Collaborate with international organisations and jurisdictions to resolve cases of transnational child abduction.
5. Legal and Counselling Support: Provide families with legal guidance and psychological counse​lling throughout the process.
6. Reintegration Support: Ensure the safe return and emotional rehabilitation of recovered children, with long-term monitoring where needed.
   
   
7. The section plays a critical role in upholding the right of every child to live in a secure environment, free from threats of separation or unlawful removal from their families.​

District Child Protection Committees (DCPCs)

Multi-sectoral committees that oversee child protection at the district level through awareness, coordination, and capacity building.

Community Child Protection Programme

Mobilises community actors to take collective responsibility in identifying and addressing child protection concerns at the grassroots.

Parental Empowerment and Resource Centre (PERC)

Supports parents through focus group discussions and strength-based parenting circles to enhance caregiving practices.

Tardy Declaration of Birth

Facilitates late registration of births under court orders for children without parental declaration, working with the Judiciary and Civil Status Office.