Human Trafficking in Mozambique: Root Causes and Recommendations

This policy paper is based on a United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) research study "Human Trafficking, especially of Women and Children in Southern Africa (Lesotho, Mozambique, and South Africa)". It is intended to serve as a tool for advocacy and awareness-raising to fight human trafficking in Mozambique, with concrete recommendations to be implemented by a wide range of actors working to fight human trafficking (including the government and international and local organisations). According to the report, Mozambique is a country of origin and transit for human trafficking activities. It states that human trafficking remains a critical problem in Mozambique, a fact that can be explained by the complexity of the problem, the ambivalence of decision-makers, and a lack of resources to ensure adequate legislation to permit vigorous strategic interventions for the fight against trafficking in persons.

According to the document, a number of awareness-raising activities have taken place. For example, frontier guard police and court magistrates were sensitised and convinced to develop a special interest in combating human trafficking in their areas of influence. Information and promotional materials were produced and distributed to over 10,000 members of the public, mainly children. Four key messages were disseminated: (1) child trafficking exists; (2) children's rights include the right of children to be free from being trafficked; (3) trafficking is much more than just sexual exploitation; and (4) child trafficking is an issue that is interlinked with others.

The use of sporting events has been adopted as a strategy to reach more people. In June 2004, 100 child soccer players, dressed in promotional clothing, participated in a friendly international match between Mozambique and Ghana which had an audience of 40,000 people and was also broadcast by the national TV channel. The captains of both squads carried the ceremonial banner: "One goal against child abuse and trafficking, fair play".

The document outlines a number of key lessons learned:

• High-profile spokesperson - The presence of a high-profile spokesperson (Graça Machel) identified with the campaign has helped mobilise political will from both the President and the Government of Mozambique. The spokesperson also participated in media events and - reportedly - helped get key issues related to the fight against trafficking on the public and political agendas.
• Benefits/outcome of training journalists in human trafficking issues - Journalists were trained on the links between national trafficking and the triad operating in Africa, Europe, and Asia. They were able to understand the vulnerability of a country such as Mozambique that has 6 international land borders and more than 2,700 km of coastline, with as much as 40% of its territorial border being unguarded. They were taught to address the problem of trafficking in line with the United Nations definition, and also to look at it in the local perspective, such as the public perception of Tatá Papá, Tatá Mamã (sugar daddy). The question of how to avoid sensationalism and not disclose names of victims and witnesses was also addressed. Journalists were asked to be more investigative and didactic so that readers can learn defense and self-protection mechanisms from their articles.
• Provision of information to 10,000 persons - According to the report, Mozambique society is more aware of trafficking issues today. The Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Justice are aware of the need for legislation in the country and have made public statements in this regard. Many national organisations were formed - e.g., Drama Forum Against Child Trafficking in Zambezia and Rede Came (Network Against Child Abuse and Trafficking), which issues a bi-monthly newsletter. 400 children from Organização dos Continuadores Moçambicanos, who were in a summer camp festival representing 128 out of 131 districts, were trained on trafficking issues.
• Cross-border collaboration between non-governmental organisations (NGOs) - This collaboration supports organisations in Mozambique and South Africa, including high-level government representatives who participated in rallies at both countries' borders and committed themselves to fighting trafficking. Police from South Africa and Mozambique are engaged in discussions with organisations to share operational experiences related to dealing with victims, rescuing of victims, and the way traffickers operate.
• Engaging children in campaigns – The report states that the engagement of children was crucial. They marched in border areas in protest against trafficking and were able to engage widely in discussions on their perception of trafficking and they learned self-protection mechanisms. In many instances, they were exposed to and participated in public speaking.

According to the report, large-scale, expensive information campaigns are of questionable value a) if they are not designed to resonate with specific, identifiable audiences, b) if no action is demanded, and c) if the campaign results are not evaluated. The report makes the following recommendations related to research, awareness raising, and training:

• expand opportunities and improve access to formal education for women, girls, and boys at all levels and in non-conventional streams;
• ensure a match between better education and available job opportunities;
• incorporate gender and human rights concerns, such as trafficking, into school curricula;
• incorporate awareness and information into informal education activities, and in clubs, sports and religious groups, or other groups of children and youth;
• provide better skills training and education for girls linked to viable, sustainable income generating activities;
• promote legal literacy in vulnerable communities and improve access to affordable legal assistance;
• provide legal update courses for law enforcement that include gender and rights training and relevant trafficking legislation information;
• conduct information campaigns that are focused on high-risk communities and that highlight safe forms of migration;
• strengthen training for law enforcement personnel, immigration and customs officials, prosecutors and judges, labour inspectors, diplomats, teachers, and other relevant officials on trafficking prevention;
• introduce effective evaluation and monitoring of all training programmes in order to measure success, record lessons learned, and modify training accordingly; and
• develop "Training of Trainers" courses for organisations, civil authorities, and other community actors in order to extend outreach of awareness and information activities.