Mozambique: Foreign job offers must be checked to avoid human trafficking

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Mozambique: Foreign job offers must be checked to avoid human trafficking

7:27 CAT | 27 Aug 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: MMO]

Mozambique’s government has asked citizens to send offers of employment contracts abroad to the labour sector for the necessary checks, with the aim of curbing human trafficking and irregular labour migration.

“Every job offer must be communicated to the sector that oversees the labour area at national level in the national directorate of migratory work and at the level of our labour and social security departments in all the provinces,” appealed the director of labour migration at the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social Action, Alice de Brito, quoted by the media on Tuesday.

She was speaking at a press conference to launch the national campaign to raise awareness and disseminate information about the risks of irregular labour migration, which kicks off today and will last three months.

In this campaign, the government wants to disseminate information about the dangers of irregular migration, promote safe practices and legal migration channels and reduce the vulnerability of those seeking opportunities outside the country.

“There are some aspects that the candidate must take into consideration when faced with a job offer abroad, understanding that every job offer abroad must be translated in writing, they must understand what the provisions are in this job offer, from salary and working conditions, to what area they will be working in and the competent authority must sign this contract,” said Alice de Brito, calling for official channels to be used when hiring abroad.

“If the safe channels for legal labour migration are not observed, this migration entails a significant risk for the workers themselves,” said the director of labour migration.

READ: New campaign warns Mozambicans about irregular labour migration risk

At issue is the increase in cases of irregular labour migration and human trafficking of Mozambicans, advanced by the Mozambique government, one of the latest cases being that of 23 citizens who ended up in Laos with promises of employment.

Last week, Mozambique’s government announced that Laos would begin repatriating 16 Mozambicans who had been victims of human trafficking, in an operation coordinated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

“It is with great satisfaction that Mozambique’s government announces that the 16 Mozambicans will be repatriated (…) from the 28th of this month,” announced the government spokesman, Inocêncio Impissa.

According to Impissa, the operation to repatriate the Mozambicans will be led by the IOM and the returnees will hold talks with the national authorities before returning to their provinces of origin, the majority of which are in Sofala, in the centre of Mozambique.

Impissa emphasised that the government, in coordination with the Laotian authorities and the IOM, “has been making efforts to protect, assist and bring back to the family those (…) fellow citizens” who, “deluded by false promises of employment, ended up involved in illegal situations outside the country”.

On 4 July, the Mozambican authorities arrested a man suspected of involvement in the alleged trafficking of 23 people with the promise of employment in Laos. At least 16 victims have been located, and seven are still missing.

The alleged company that hired the group will pay for the return of the Mozambicans, according to Mozambique’s government.

Mozambique’s deputy attorney general, Amabelia Chuquela, had acknowledged difficulties in investigating human trafficking cases due to the “sophistication” of these criminal operations in the country.

“We continue to have (…) a number [of human trafficking cases] that, for us, does not reflect reality. We have a record of five cases that occurred last year,” said Amabelia Chuquela.

Source: Lusa