đź’¬ NEW! Join Equaldex's LGBTQ+ Discord to discuss LGBT rights and chat!
Regions  ▸  Africa

LGBT Rights in Mauritania

    Homosexuality
    ⚢
    ✖ Illegal (death penalty as punishment)
    Gay Marriage
    ⚭
    ✖ Not legal
    Censorship
    ✖ Imprisonment as punishment
    Changing Gender
    ✖ Illegal
    Non-binary gender recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Employment Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Housing Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Adoption
    ✖ Illegal
    Military
    ✖ Illegal
    Donating Blood
    ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
    Conversion Therapy
    Ambiguous
    Age of Consent
    N/A

Public Opinion

Public opinion polls in particular regions of Mauritania have found that homophobic beliefs persist, however, this is based on a limited number of data points.

Mauritania is missing public opinion data.

Help expand our understanding of the public's view on LGBTQ+ issues in Mauritania by sharing a link to a survey from a reputable organization.

Suggest Public Opinion Data

History

Homosexual activity in Mauritania

?

Homosexual activity in Mauritania is illegal (death penalty as punishment).

Current status
Since Jul 9, 1983
Illegal (death penalty as punishment)
Male homosexuality is punishable by stoning; female homosexuality is punishable by fines or imprisonments
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
refugeelegalaidinformation.…
Added by vviet93  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jul 9, 1983–Sep 8, 2018
Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)
2 years in prison and fine and stoning. Legal in some states. death penalty rarely enforced. Changes pending.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
theguardian.com/world/2017/…


web.archive.org/web/2005020…//www.sodomylaws.org/world/world.htm

independent.co.uk/news/worl…


hrw.org/news/2018/06/12/rec…


hrw.org/news/2018/09/05/cou…
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Same-sex marriage in Mauritania

?

Same-sex marriage in Mauritania is not legal.

Current status
Since Jul 9, 1983
Not legal
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
(See homosexual activity sources.)
Added by danlev  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Censorship of LGBT Issues in Mauritania

?

Censorship of LGBT Issues in Mauritania is imprisonment as punishment.

Current status
Imprisonment as punishment
The Mauritanian authorities uses provisions such as “indecency” and “incitation to debauchery” on those who challenge the country with LGBT social movements.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
humandignitytrust.org/count…
Added by equaldex  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Right to change legal gender in Mauritania

?

Right to change legal gender in Mauritania is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
Not legal , Crossdressing is seen as a taboo .
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
forktip.com/lgbt-couple-saf…
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Mauritania

?

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Mauritania is not legally recognized.

Current status
Not legally recognized
Crossdressing is seen as a taboo, so there's no Third Gender recognition.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGB…
Added by Ro_Guy  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT discrimination in Mauritania

?

LGBT discrimination in Mauritania is no protections.

Current status
Since Jul 12, 1991
No protections
Homosexuality is illegal in Mauritania. As such, date provided is the date where the most recent version of the constitution came into effect.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
servat.unibe.ch/icl/mr00000_.html
Added by vviet93  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT employment discrimination in Mauritania

?

LGBT employment discrimination in Mauritania is no protections.

Current status
Since Jul 12, 1991
No protections
No protection is granted as homosexuality still carries a death sentence.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
servat.unibe.ch/icl/mr00000_.html
Added by vviet93  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT housing discrimination in Mauritania

?

LGBT housing discrimination in Mauritania is no protections.

Current status
Since Jul 12, 1991
No protections
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Same-sex adoption in Mauritania

?

Same-sex adoption in Mauritania is illegal.

Current status
Since Jul 9, 1983
Illegal
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
(See homosexual activity sources.)
Added by danlev  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Serving openly in military in Mauritania

?

Serving openly in military in Mauritania is illegal.

Current status
Since Jul 8, 1983
Illegal
As homosexuality is illegal, serving in the military by LGBTQ+ individuals are also illegal
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
refugeelegalaidinformation.…
Added by vviet93  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Blood donations by MSMs in Mauritania

?

Blood donations by MSMs in Mauritania is banned (indefinite deferral).

Current status
Banned (indefinite deferral)
Homosexuality is illegal.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_…
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Conversion therapy in Mauritania

?

Conversion therapy in Mauritania is ambiguous.

Current status
Ambiguous
Unknown.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Equal age of consent in Mauritania

?

Equal age of consent in Mauritania is n/a.

Current status
Since Jul 9, 1983
N/A
Homosexual activity is illegal in Mauritania.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
(See homosexual activity sources.)
Added by danlev  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Until Jul 9, 1983
N/A
Due to homosexuality being ilegal, there is no age of consent for homosexuals.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGB…
Added by Ro_Guy  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT Rights by Region

View the LGBT laws in each individual region of Mauritania.

    Equality Index ?
    8 / 100
    Legal Rights
    0 / 100
    Public Opinion
    16 / 100

    Equality Rank

    View All
    #121
    Interest Rank based on Equaldex traffic ?

    Top Contributors

    Discussions

    Mauritania LGBT Organizations

    There are no organizations listed in Mauritania. Suggest one

    Share Region

    Map of Mauritania
    LGBT Mauritania Flag
    LGBT Mauritania Flag

    Compare Mauritania

    37
    Benin Flag

    Compare with
    Benin

    34
    Burkina Faso Flag

    Compare with
    Burkina Faso

    63
    Cape Verde Flag

    Compare with
    Cape Verde

    29
    Côte d’Ivoire Flag

    Compare with
    Côte d’Ivoire

    9
    Gambia Flag

    Compare with
    Gambia

    15
    Ghana Flag

    Compare with
    Ghana

    17
    Guinea Flag

    Compare with
    Guinea

    57
    Guinea-Bissau Flag

    Compare with
    Guinea-Bissau

    Common queries:
    • Is it illegal to be gay in Mauritania?
    • Is homosexuality legal in Mauritania?
    • Is gay marriage legal in Mauritania?
    Alternative names: Muritaniya/Mauritanie (local name)

    LGBT Rights in Western Africa

    37
    Benin Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Benin

    34
    Burkina Faso Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Burkina Faso

    63
    Cape Verde Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Cape Verde

    29
    Côte d’Ivoire Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Côte d’Ivoire

    9
    Gambia Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Gambia

    15
    Ghana Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Ghana

    17
    Guinea Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Guinea

    57
    Guinea-Bissau Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Guinea-Bissau

    23
    Liberia Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Liberia

    34
    Mali Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Mali

    31
    Niger Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Niger

    7
    Nigeria Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Nigeria

    98
    Saint Helena Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Saint Helena

    13
    Senegal Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Senegal

    20
    Sierra Leone Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Sierra Leone

    18
    Togo Flag

    LGBT Rights in
    Togo