2007 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Mozambique

Incidence and Nature of Child Labor

In rural areas of Mozambique, children work on family or commercial farms, often picking cotton, tea, tobacco, and herding livestock.²⁴⁰⁰ Children also work in prostitution and as domestics.²⁴⁰¹ At informal bars, known as barracas, girl employees are also made to work as prostitutes.²⁴⁰² In some instances, children work in bonded labor in order to pay off a family debt.²⁴⁰³ Child begging is a mounting problem, with incidences of children being "contracted" to beg for non-family members.²⁴⁰⁴

Children are trafficked internally and to South Africa for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation in brothels and popular nightclubs.²⁴⁰⁵ Young boys are trafficked within the country and to South Africa for farm and mine work, while girls are trafficked into prostitution and domestic servitude.²⁴⁰⁶

Children are known to cross the border from Zimbabwe into Mozambique to work in agriculture, construction, informal mining, prostitution, and street vending.²⁴⁰⁷

Child Labor Laws and Enforcement

The minimum age for employment in Mozambique is 15 years. In exceptional cases, the law allows children between 12 and 15 years to work with the joint approval of the Ministries of Labor, Health, and Education; these children are afforded special rights that protect their mental, physical, and social development.²⁴⁰⁸ The law restricts the conditions under which minors between 15 and 18 years may work, and commits employers to provide for their education and professional training. For example, children are prohibited from working more than 38 hours per week and more than 7 hours per day.²⁴⁰⁹ Minors under 18 years are not permitted to work in unhealthy, dangerous, or physically taxing occupations; must undergo a medical examination; and must be paid at least minimum wage. Violators of child labor laws are subject to fines.²⁴¹⁰

The Ministry of Labor has the authority to enforce and regulate child labor laws in both the formal and informal sectors. Labor inspectors may obtain court orders to enforce compliance with child labor legislation.²⁴¹¹ According to USDOS, however, both the Labor Inspectorate and the police lack adequate staff, funds, and training to investigate child labor cases, especially outside the capital. USDOS claims that the law is enforced in the formal sector but that enforcement is inadequate in the informal sector.²⁴¹²

The law prohibits forced labor, with the exception of prison labor.²⁴¹³ The age for conscription and voluntary recruitment into the military is 18 years. In times of war, however, the minimum age for military conscription may be lowered.²⁴¹⁴ The law also forbids the practice of prostitution in any form, including that of children. Procuring a minor is punishable by imprisonment for 6 months to 2 years.²⁴¹⁵ Various penal statutes contain provisions that can be applied to the trafficking of children.²⁴¹⁶

Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor

The Government provided information and provided education about the dangers of child labor. Public outreach efforts included police training on child prostitution and pornography.²⁴¹⁷ Police stations in Mozambique have established facilities to address the needs of child trafficking victims.²⁴¹⁸ In 2007, the Ministry of Interior was increased the number of these facilities from 151 to 155.²⁴¹⁹

The Government of Mozambique is participating in a USD 3 million USDOL-funded program implemented by the American Institutes for Research to combat child labor in agriculture, domestic work, street work, and commercial sexual exploitation.²⁴²⁰ The 3-year project aims to withdraw and prevent 2,600 children from engaging in such activities.²⁴²¹

The Civic Education Forum, a civil society organization, operates a shelter for victims of trafficking. The shelter was built on land donated by the Moamba District Government to house and grow food for the residents.²⁴²²

2399 For statistical data not cited here, see the Data Sources and Definitions section. For data on ratifications and ILO-IPEC membership, see the Executive Summary. For minimum age for admission to work, age to which education is compulsory, and free public education, see U.S. Department of State, "Mozambique," in Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 200. Washington, DC, March 11, 2008, section 5, 6d; available from http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100495.htm.

2400 Ibid., section 6d. See also Save the Children, Visitors from Zimbabwe: A preliminary study outlining the risks and vulnerabilities facing Zimbabwean children who have illegally crossed into Mozambique, May 2006, 8; available from http://www.savethechildren.it/2003/download/Pubblicazioni/Zimbabwe/Zimb….

2401 U.S. Department of State, "Country Reports – 2007: Mozambique," section 6d. See also UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Summary Record of the 762nd Meeting, Consideration of reports of States parties, Initial Report: Mozambique, CRC/C/SR.762, February 28, 2003, 8; available from http://tb.ohchr.org/default.aspx?country=mz.

2402 Save the Children UK, Visitors from Zimbabwe: A Preliminary Study Outlining the Risks and Vulnerabilities Facing Zimbabwean Children who have Crossed Illegally into Mozambique, May 24, 2006, 9; available from http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/2006/sc-zim-24may.pdf See also Integrated Regional Information Networks, "Mozambique: Exploitation and abuse awaits Zimbabwe's migrants", IRINnews.org, [online], May 25, 2006 [cited December 10, 2007]; available from http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=39621. See also Integrated Regional Information Networks, "Mozambique: New bridge puts children at risk", IRINnews.org, [online], November 7, 2006 [cited December 10, 2007]; available from http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=61502.

2403 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 44 of the Convention, Concluding Observations: Mozambique, CRC/C/15/Add.172, April 3, 2002, 10; available from http://tb.ohchr.org/default.aspx?country=mz. See also ILO Committee of Experts, Direct Request, Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No. 182), Mozambique (ratification: 2003), [online] 2006 [cited March 18, 2008]; available from http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/newcountryframeE.htm.

2404 ILO Committee of Experts, Direct Request, Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention 182.

2405 Jonathan Martens, Maciej 'Mac' Pieczkowski, and Bernadette van Vuuren-Smyth, Seduction, Sale and Slavery: Trafficking in Women and Children for Sexual Exploitation in Southern Africa, 3rd edition, International Organization for Migration Regional Office for Southern Africa, Pretoria, May 2003, 51; available from http://www.iom.org.za/site/media/docs/TraffickingReport3rdEd.pdf. See also U.S. Department of State, "Mozambique (Tier 2 Watch List)," in Trafficking in Persons Report – 2007, Washington, DC, June 12, 2007; available from http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2007/82806.htm.

2406 U.S. Department of State, "Country Reports – 2007: Mozambique," section 5. See also U.S. Department of State, "Trafficking in Persons Report – 2007: Mozambique."

2407 Save the Children UK, Visitors from Zimbabwe, 7-10.

2408 Government of Mozambique, Labour Law, (October 2007), articles 23, 26; available from http://www.arbitrationmz.com/data/docs/Labour_Law_nr_232007.eng.pdf. See also UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Summary Record of the 762nd Meeting, Consideration of reports of States parties, Initial Report, 8. See also U.S. Department of State, "Country Reports – 2007: Mozambique," section 6d.

2409 Government of Mozambique, Mozambique Labour Law, Articles 23, 26. See also U.S. Department of State, "Country Reports – 2007: Mozambique," section 6d.

2410 Government of Mozambique, Mozambique Labour Law, Articles 23, 27, 267. See also U.S. Department of State, "Country Reports – 2007: Mozambique," section 6d.

2411 U.S. Department of State, "Country Reports – 2007: Mozambique," section 6d.

2412 Ibid.

2413 Government of Mozambique, Constitution, (November 2, 1990), article 88; available from www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/MozambiqueC(rev).doc.

2414 Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, "Mozambique," in Child Soldiers Global Report 2004, London, 2004; available from http://www.child-soldiers.org/regions/country?id=145.

2415 The Protection Project, Mozambique, [online] 2006 [cited March 19, 2008]; available from http://www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/….

2416 ILO Committee of Experts, Direct Request, Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention 182. See also U.S. Department of State, "Trafficking in Persons Report – 2007: Mozambique."

2417 U.S. Department of State official, E-mail communication to USDOL official, February 1, 2007.

2418 U.S. Embassy – Maputo, reporting, November 20, 2007.

2419 U.S. Embassy – Maputo, reporting, March 3, 2008, para 11.

2420 American Institutes for Research, RECLAIM: Reducing Exploitive Child Labor in Mozambique, technical progress report, September 2006.

2421 American Institutes for Research, RECLAIM: Reducing Exploitive Child Labor in Mozambique, cooperative agreement, September 2005, 1, 2.

2422 U.S. Department of State, "Trafficking in Persons Report – 2007: Mozambique." See also U.S. Embassy – Maputo, reporting, March 3, 2008, para 11.