Mozambique: Three UEM lecturers expelled, two suspended for sexual harassment

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Mozambique: Three UEM lecturers expelled, two suspended for sexual harassment

4:17 CAT | 04 Sep 2025

File photo: AIM

Mozambique’s largest higher education institution, the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), has, since 2022, had 13 cases of sexual harassment against students reported, resulting in the expulsion of three lecturers and the suspension of two others, its administration announced yesterday.

“Since 2022, we have had 13 cases [of sexual harassment], and of the (…) cases we have had, three lecturers were expelled and two were removed from teaching,” Gracinda Mataveia, director of the UEM Gender Affairs Coordination Centre, told the media on the sidelines of an awareness-raising workshop in Maputo.

In the remaining cases, lecturers had received notices or warnings, especially because, in some cases, “there was no evidence”.

“This year, 2025, we have six cases for which we have already produced reports, and they have been submitted to higher authorities for final analysis and decision-making,” Mataveia explained.

According to Mataveia, despite the existence of official reporting channels, challenges persist in reporting these crimes, influenced by victims’ fear.

“The university is large. It’s not an easy topic to address, even for the people who are harassed; they often have difficulty even reporting the case because it’s a very embarrassing and intimate situation,” she concluded.

READ: Mozambique: 10 lecturers dismissed for sexual harassment

Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) operates with only 38% of its optimal budget, a problem that has persisted for years and is compromising the institution’s performance indicators, the university’s rector, Manuel Júnior, said in July.

“We operate with 38% of what was desired. As a result, many of UEM’s performance indicators are below expectations, starting with the number of students graduating annually,” Júnior said during the institution’s annual meeting.

As a result, UEM has been performing well below expectations, especially in training, research and outreach.

With more than 50,000 students and more than 1,600 faculty members, UEM’s research projects increased from 324 to 457 in 2024, a growth rate still considered “incipient” given the challenges facing Mozambique.

Source: Lusa