Mauritania

Mauritania’s nationality law denies Mauritanian women equal rights with men to confer nationality on children and spouses. The country has received recommendations from many different human rights mechanisms on the need for reform starting in 2013, but has yet to do so. The CRC noted with concern that the procedures for conferring citizenship on children born to Mauritanian mothers and non-Mauritanian fathers are different from those for children born to Mauritanian fathers. While a Mauritanian father may pass his nationality to his children wherever they are born, a Mauritanian mother may do so only if her children are born in Mauritania or if the father’s nationality is unknown. The Human Rights Council reported in 2024 that this issue persists.