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Abductions and dehumanising treatment of women and children has become commonplace in Mozambique during the country’s war against terror.
The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) says that in the Cabo Delgado region this includes sexploitation for “free” food rations.
“It is prevalent. Since 2020 we have been receiving reports of women and children from whom sex was demanded in exchange for food rations.”
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have published numerous reports of children being recruited by insurgents to fight.
The SACBC says Mozambique’s Attorney General blames the press for failing to report the atrocities.
“The journalists responded by saying that they could only report if the government allowed them access to IDP camps,” Johan Viljoen from the SACBC says.
The SACBC is welcoming the United Nations’ (UN) resolve to investigate violations against children in Mozambique. The UN is also investigating crimes against children in Ukraine and Ethiopia.
The UN report “Children and Armed Conflict” says 2,515 children were killed and 5,555 maimed in global conflicts last year. There were also 6,310 children recruited for conflicts.
Children were also victims of abductions, sexual violence, of school and hospital attacks and denial of aid during conflicts.
“There is no word strong enough to describe the horrific conditions that children in armed conflict have endured” said the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
“Those who survived will be affected for life with deep physical and emotional scars.
“But we must not let these numbers discourage our efforts. They should serve as an impetus to reinforce our determination to end and prevent grave violations against children.
“This report is a call to action to intensify our work to better protect children in armed conflict and ensure that they are given a real chance to recover and thrive.”
Catholic news site Aciafrica is seriously concerned about the “prostitution, murder and recruiting of children as young as 11 and 12 years old as soldiers”.
Actual figures could be much worse because the UN report is based on reported cases, Aciafrica says.
So far over 50,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, 35,000 of them children below the age of 18. Many have no parents.
“They are forced to have sex with adult men; they are being used for child prostitution,” Aciafrica reports.
Viljoen says abused children “will be scarred for life. They will have extensive emotional and mental damage. This is likely to last for life, as there are almost no mental health facilities in Cabo Delgado”.
Abusers and those allegedly supervising should be sentenced to prison, he says. He doesn’t think they’ll be brought to justice though if they’re Frelimo party members or senior government officials.
A few people will be picked on to make it look as if something’s being done, he says.
“We are glad that the United Nations is investigating,” Viljoen says. “However, it would be even better if the Mozambican government were to carry out daily investigations.”
He’s concerned about the government and UN failure to investigate and prosecute similar abuses in the past.
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