The Constitution provides citizens with the right to change their government peacefully, and citizens exercise this right in practice. Free and fair national elections based on universal suffrage were held in December 1995. The remote and isolated islands of Agalega and St. Brandon are an exception to universal suffrage. Their nearly 500 citizens have no representation in the National Assembly. Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights A number of human rights groups are organized and active, and operate without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases.
Government officials cooperate with and respond to the views of human rights groups.
The Constitution specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, caste, place of origin, political opinion, color, creed, or sex. The Government generally respects these provisions. In a positive step, the Government decided to introduce human rights education in secondary schools and is preparing a curriculum for introduction in 1998. Women Violence against women, particularly spousal abuse, is widespread, according to the Ministry of Women's Rights and Family Welfare, attorneys, and nongovernmental organizations. In August the Government took a significant step to address these problems by enacting legislation that outlawed domestic violence and provided mechanisms to protect women and children in particular.