Mozambique: Local Schools Vulnerable to Human Trafficking
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Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
9 October 2008
Posted to the web 10 October 2008
Maputo
Mozambican schools are highly vulnerable to trafficking in children, the country's former first lady, Graca Machel, warned on Wednesday.
Machel is the head of one of the country's most prominent NGOs, the Community Development Foundation (FDC). She was speaking on the second day of a regional conference in Maputo held by the Southern African Network against the Traffic in and Abuse of Minors (SANTAC).
She said the vulnerability of many schools arises from the fact that they are not protected by walls or fences, and have no security guards. Anyone can enter. Pupils, particularly girls, are exposed to the risk of falling into the hands of criminals, who kidnap them for forced labour or for prostitution.
There have been two recent credible reports of children being kidnapped from a primary school in the southern city of Matola.
Machel urged SANTAC, and other organisations concerned with child protection, to carry out more work in schools.
"The teachers should speak about the matter", she said. "They should tell their pupils not to accept proposals made by anybody in the street, and warn them to stay in groups, to reduce their vulnerability to criminals".
Families too were not aware of the danger their children might be in, added Machel. Because they have not been warned, children tend to believe that any adult, including uncles, cousins, neighbours and family friends, can be trusted. Such trust might prove perilous for the children.
"Parents and guardians are still not telling children not to accept offers of jobs, or of studying, from anybody", said Machel. "A new element should be introduced into family education. Children must not believe in everybody. The ease with which children agree to travel to any place shows they are not aware of the dangers of being trafficked or sexually abused".
The South African High Commissioner in Mozambique, Thandi Lujabe-Rankow, told the conference "it does not matter how much economic success we achieve, if crime does not fall, and particularly if violent crimes, such as trafficking in people, still exist".
She said the South African government is working to ensure the passage of legislation on trafficking in people in order to discourage such abuses during the football World Cup that will be held in South Africa in 2010.
SANTAC intends to draw up a plan of action to be implemented in the period leading up to the World Cup, in order to prevent women and children being trafficked to South Africa. NGOs are worried because the experience from previous international sporting events suggests that organised crime gangs see them as an opportunity.
Graca Machel stressed that civil society activity on this issue should not end once the World Cup is over. "These activities should result in building strong organisations that can stand up to organised crime syndicates", she said. "The criminals should retreat because they are afraid of us. We should not be afraid of them".
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The plan of action, she added, "should have clear commands for everyone involved. It should indicate clearly who does what. What the role will be, for example, of customs, or of the police. This information should be deposited in each of these institution so that tomorrow they do not say "we weren't informed".
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Copyright © 2008 Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
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