HRW Urges France to Address Education in Mayotte Recovery Bill

HRW Urges France to Address Education in Mayotte Recovery Bill
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged France’s National Assembly to include education and children’s rights in a new emergency bill for Mayotte, its overseas department in the Indian Ocean. The bill, adopted unanimously, aims to accelerate reconstruction efforts after Cyclone Chido struck the island in December 2024. It proposes easing urban planning and public procurement rules and establishing a public institution to manage rebuilding.

However, HRW criticized the bill for neglecting access to education. Advocacy officer Elvire Fondacci said it is a chance to correct decades of underinvestment that have left Mayotte with some of the poorest education infrastructure in the EU.

According to HRW, nine percent of school-age children in Mayotte are not enrolled, and 15,000 lack access to full-day public schooling. The group also highlighted how restrictive migration policies worsen the problem, calling on France to uphold every child’s right to education, regardless of location or legal status.

Mayotte, home to approximately 90,000 people, is predominantly made up of Muslims and Shias, with Islam tracing its roots in the region back to the 15th century. A minority of Christians, who make up 3% of the population, have also been affected by Cyclone Chido.