Mozambique: Justice sector raises concern over cases of incest – Notícias

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Mozambique: Justice sector raises concern over cases of incest – Notícias

2:17 CAT | 29 Nov 2024

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Folha de Maputo]

Cases of sexual abuse involving minors and their relatives are worrying the justice authorities in the city of Maputo. The majority of the victims are female.

The concern was raised a few days ago by Public Prosecutor Benedita Langa, in the context of the ’16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV)’ initiative, stating that in recent months she has received many cases involving minors under the age of 12.

“As a curator of minors, in recent months I have received many cases from the districts, of rape of minors, mostly girls between the ages of 11 and 15, in which the abuser is the father or the grandfather,” she said.

More worrying, according to Langa, is when girls present themselves already pregnant, and it is necessary to submit them to tests to see if the pregnancy can be safely terminated given the victim’s age.

“This is becoming a major concern, at least in the city of Maputo. When we talk about GBV, the victims are mostly female,” she said.

The source also expressed concern about the sentences given to the sexual abusers. As an example, Langa said that there was a case in which the victim’s father was sentenced to four years in prison, and was released after serving half of his sentence.

During the same period, the girl raped by her father began to show serious gynaecological health problems.

“We, the law enforcers, need to look into these issues with a different sensitivity than others not related to gender, because in these cases there is also discrimination, superiority and even impunity. That is why society is starting to think about whether it is worth filing a complaint,” she said.

Replacing the sentence with a fine does not seem satisfactory, taking into account the victim’s safety, Langa said, because when the aggressor returns home, he might continue to harass the rape victim, reducing any initiative to file future complaints.

Source: Notícias