U.S. Department of State 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report - Mozambique

Mozambique (Tier 2)

Mozambique is a source country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Trafficked women are recruited, generally from the Maputo area, with promises of lucrative jobs in South Africa and then sold to brothels, or as concubines to mine workers. Traffickers are principally Mozambican or South African citizens, but involvement of Chinese and Nigerian syndicates has also been reported.

The Government of Mozambique does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. To further its efforts to fight trafficking, the government should strengthen its law enforcement efforts by actively investigating and prosecuting cases of trafficking, and should also undertake strong preventative measures, including a comprehensive public awareness campaign.

Prosecution

The government's performance in combating trafficking through law enforcement improved in 2004. Mozambique has no law specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons. As a necessary precursor to drafting comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation, the government conducted a donor-funded survey of children's rights in 2004. Traffickers could be prosecuted using existing laws on sexual assault, rape, abduction, and child abuse, but no such cases have been brought before a court. The criminal investigative police and the anti-corruption unit of the Attorney General's office have very limited knowledge of trafficking in persons. However, in March 2005, police in Quelimane arrested two men attempting to sell an 11-year-old boy. In separate 2004 incidents, border police arrested two Mozambican men for abducting and illegally transporting young boys across the South African border. Border controls remain highly inadequate, and many policemen and border control agents are suspected of accepting bribes from traffickers. In 2004, the Ministry of Interior's Department for Women and Children established a new database to track a variety of crimes against women and children; no official cases of trafficking were recorded, but many cases of abductions and disappearances were registered and investigated. The Department of Migration signed an agreement with its counterpart in South Africa to share information and facilities; information on trafficking in persons was specified within the agreement. The Ministry of Interior provided training in women's and children's protection, including trafficking in persons, to police officers serving in Maputo, Beira, and Nampula.

Protection

The government made modest attempts to provide basic protection for victims of trafficking over the last year. The Ministry of Women and Social Action has provided six major hospitals with counselors to help women and children who are victims of violence, including trafficking. These counselors have received basic training in trafficking and reintegration; counselors in the Maputo Central Hospital reported that they used their training to help trafficking victims during the year. In late 2004, the Ministry of Interior established women's shelters, intended in part to protect trafficking victims, at police stations in Maputo, Beira, Nampula and several large towns in Gaza province. Police officials staffing these shelters received training on trafficking in persons during the period.

Prevention

Prevention efforts on the part of the government remained weak. President Chissano mentioned trafficking in persons during his "State of the Union" address. President Guebuza discussed the problem in his 2004 election campaign. The government established an anti-trafficking inter-agency working group comprised of the Ministries of Interior, Women and Social Action, Justice, and Health, and held an initial meeting in 2004. The government has not organized any public education campaigns on trafficking prevention, but the Ministries of Interior and Women and Social Action actively participated in NGO and international organization-run education campaigns for women in vulnerable communities by presenting information about trafficking-related laws and police services. In January 2005, the government formally approved IOM's application to re-establish an office in Mozambique. The Mozambican Government does not yet have a national plan of action to address trafficking in persons.