Access to education for stateless children and those at risk of statelessness 50. The denial of the right to education is a particularly serious violation of the rights of stateless children and children who are at heightened risk of statelessness (e.g. children who lack civil registration). Haratines and Black Mauritanian children are frequently prevented from going to school because they lack civil registration documents. 51. Although education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 14, school directors can dismiss children who lack civil registration from school at their discretion. Even if affected families find a school administrator who allows their children to enrol in school, these children are not allowed to sit for national exams required to enter the next level of studies, since the Ministries of the Interior and Education requires the completion of biometric registration procedures and the possession of a national identity card to do so. Contrary to the documented experiences of black Haratines and Mauritanian children, the Minister of the Interior denied that these children were prevented from taking the national exams due to their lack of civil registration. 52. Other groups within Mauritanian society are also deprived of equal access to education, including children without civil status and children with disabilities. The education system is not inclusive of disabled children, including due to the lack of ramps, braille, accessible toilets and transport. The Impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities 53. The majority of the populations, especially the descendants of slaves, live in the capital in barracks, hangars, tents without protection against dust winds, and share a 16m2 room with 6 and 10 people. This type of situation is not suitable or safe and even more during the Covid-19 pandemic. No specific measures or protection for slaves during this pandemic have been taken. Due to this situation, Law enforcement and case hearings have been slowing down in the legal and judicial process. The civil status problems of the victims, their social integration, although more severe with the presence of the pandemic, have not been the subject of any measure, no specific program. The principles of participation were not respected in preparation for the fight against the pandemic, our observation being the discrimination of our organisation which has an absolute social anchoring for more than 20 years. Recommendations 54. Based on the above information, the co-submitting organisations urge reviewing States to make the following recommendations to Mauritania: I. II. III. IV. Amend nationality law provisions that discriminate on the basis of gender to ensure that women and men enjoy equal rights to confer nationality, in particular to ensure that Mauritanian women are able to confer nationality on children born abroad and spouses on the same basis with men; Amend nationality laws to ensure every child’s right to a nationality, including by introducing a comprehensive safeguard against statelessness, where the parents may themselves be stateless or unable to pass on their nationality to the child; Ensure that all children born in Mauritania are registered at birth by providing access to birth registration without discrimination; and enact reforms to guarantee each parent’s independent and autonomous right to obtain a birth certificate for their child regardless of the parent’s sex or marital status; Review legislation to eliminate legal obstacles inhibiting access to civil documents required to obtain birth certificates, and to facilitate access to birth certificates for 11