Mozambique: NGO calls for protection of children

The Mozambican Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Civil Society Forum for the Rights of the Child (ROSC) has called for accountability and more government action in the face of a 525% increase in serious violations against children in armed conflicts in the country.

“Accountability (…) is part of prevention, because it is not just about punishment. When there is accountability, people can learn about what is wrong and what should not be done, but also why it is necessary to provide compensation and justice to families, victims and survivors ,” Benilde Nhalivilo, executive director of ROSC, said in an interview with Lusa in Maputo.

The “Report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict 2024” indicates that Mozambique was the second country with the highest percentage increase (525%) in serious violations against children in armed conflict in 2024, only behind Lebanon, according to data published on Thursday.

“ We are very sad and outraged , but even more than that is the idea and the desire to work harder and harder to prevent this type of situation,” said the director of the NGO.

He added that children “were already victims of various other types of violence and also of situations such as natural disasters that made them more vulnerable” and “perpetuated” the factors that placed them as part of the groups that are the main victims.

The ongoing conflict in the northern province of Cabo Delgado is one of the “hotbeds of attacks” on children and women, he said.

ROSC says it is developing, together with partners, work in the area of ​​“children in situations of conflict and armed violence” and training civil society organizations, as well as advocacy for state responsibility in this matter.

“We know that the culture of violence in our communities is becoming more normalized every day. And also the issue of holding those who commit these types of acts accountable, which is something we would like to see more and more. Because the responsibility for protecting children lies above all with the State and also with all of us who are part of this society,” he added.

Nhalivilo recalls that Mozambique is “a trafficking destination, a corridor, and also a departure point for people, and particularly children who are trafficked”, noting that there are children with albinism who have been kidnapped and killed, with their organs removed.

“This is not in the context of Cabo Delgado, this is in the context of a society that is, in a certain way, unhealthy, and that needs to place children at the center of its public policies, its actions, for the protection and defense of children's rights,” he said.

The 16 years of civil war between the Government and the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) also created “ a culture of violation of children’s rights ”, and, on the other hand, the weak performance of the institutions that should protect children, he says.

Impunity often trumps justice, even when perpetrators of violence are identified, the NGO leader said, highlighting a persistent challenge in Mozambique.

The impacts of violence against children are long-lasting, with lifelong psychological damage. Families are also exposed, in a context of fragile mental health services, he explains, highlighting the need for more resources.

Since October 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State, which have led to the displacement of more than a million people.

In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks by Islamic extremist groups in the province, an increase of 36% compared to the previous year, according to data recently released by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution of the US Department of Defense that analyzes conflicts in Africa.