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Mozambique: Sexual violence complaints up 7% between 2020 and 2021
3:09 CAT | 10 Oct 2022
Image: Reuters
The number of complaints officially filed with the authorities for sexual violence in Mozambique increased by 7% between 2020 and 2021, to 21,307 cases, according to data from the latest bulletin of the National Statistics Institute (INE) seen by Lusa on Monday.
Several institutions estimate, however, that most cases remain unreported.
READ: Mozambique: 1 in 7 women, 1 in 12 men experience sexual violence before the age of 18 – survey
For example, with regard to early marriage, one of the crimes under analysis by INE, the authorities officially registered 398 cases in 2021.
However, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that Mozambique has one of the highest prevalence rates of early marriage in the world, with half of all girls being forced into marriage before the age of 18.
“In the context of Mozambique, the biggest impact on the prevalence of early marriage is school attendance: girls who attend school are eight times less likely to be married as a child than girls who never attended or left school,” the UN agency highlights.
Data collected by the INE show that three-quarters of all complaints concern violence against women (a quarter against men) which grew by 10%, while complaints in which the man is the victim fell by 2.5%.
One-third of the reported cases concern victims under 17 years old.
The main source of the publication was the General Command of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique, through the Department of Attendance to Family and Minors Victims of Violence.
The department records the occurrences through complaints reported by the victims or third parties, and the health services, whenever they go for post-violence care and treatment.
In addition to complaints, the bulletin notes that “crimes against sexual freedom increased from 1,672 in 2020 to 2,074 in 2021, an increase of 24%,” with the majority of them concerning rape and child abuse.
With regard to criminal cases, the number of domestic violence cases increased by about 6%, rising from 11,262 in 2020 to 11,925 in 2021.”
READ: Mozambique: Sexual assault of minors, rape cases spike in Inhambane during lockdown
Source: Lusa
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