Population size:
30,366,036[1]
Number of people experiencing domestic abuse each year:
Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence against women in the last 12 months: 16%. This is the proportion of ever-partnered women aged 18-49 years experiencing intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence in the last 12 months.[2] 20,000 cases of domestic violence were reported in a year but NGOs believed the number of victims to be much higher.”[3]
No research on male victims or other gender identities.
Cost of domestic abuse to the economy each year:
No research.
Estimated % change due to COVID-19:
No research.
Current law and policy:
On 3 July 2019, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women reviewed the combined third to fifth periodic reports of Mozambique on the implementation of the CEDAW. The delegation of Mozambique consisted of representatives of the Permanent Mission of Mozambique to the UN office at Geneva, and (via a video-link) representatives of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action of Mozambique. The Mozambique delegation confirms that the Government has set up integrated support services to the victims of violence against women and children and the legal/justice/law enforcement sector personnel had been trained on the protection of women from domestic violence. Further, at a national level, a campaign and an action plan is in place to prevent and combat violence against women and children.
The Mozambique Justice Ministry, the High Court and Constitutional Court, with support from UNDP held a seminar in mid-October 2019 to discuss on its commitments to set up and strengthen its departments to deal with gender-based violence, and to better implement the National Plan for the Prevention and Response of Gender-Based Violence 2018-2021.
According to the Case Study of Mozambique 2019 (by Human Dignity Trust), Mozambique faces a major challenge in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of national domestic violence laws. As there is a lack of reliable data collection on domestic violence complaints and criminal cases compiled by the Attorney General’s office of Mozambique.
Mozambique had adopted a national action plan on women, peace and security and had set up the National Women and Children Office, which provided integrated support services to the victims of violence against women and children and introduced the issue of domestic violence into the training of the police. The Constitution contained the definition of gender-based discrimination, while the upcoming revision of the Family Law would speak directly to the issue of gender-based discrimination.
In terms of access to justice for victims of domestic violence, the delegation stressed that due process was in place while legal aid had been extended to more than 900 victims to assist women victims of domestic violence. Judges, lawyers, paralegals, and other justice sector personnel had been trained on the protection of women from domestic violence.
Gender-based violence was a public crime and anyone could report the cases of violence in their local centres, which reduced the practice of these forms of violence being dealt with within the family. A campaign and an action plan to prevent and combat violence against women and children at the national level was in place and was being implemented in a coordinated manner. It sought to actively involve men and boys in the implementation. Perpetrators of gender-based violence were sanctioned and