Sexual abuse remains the leading complaint raised by children in Mozambique

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Sexual abuse remains the leading complaint raised by children in Mozambique

7:48 CAT | 03 Oct 2016

File photo / For illustration purposes only

Sexual abuse, mistreatment, physical assault, early marriages and abandonment are some of the primary complaints being made by Mozambican children via the “Linha Fala Criança” (Speak Child Line) hotline.

From 2015 to September 2016, the hotline received approximately 184,413 calls, of which 50,028 were made during
the first six months of 2016.

According to data made public last week by the managers of the hotline, the majority of calls concerned cases of rape, abuse, bodily harm, neglect, abandonment, domestic violence, child marriage and psychological abuse.

The data also suggests that a large portion of perpetrators are parents and legal guardians. The majority of victims are female children.

The age groups most frequently targeted are: 13 to 15, followed by children aged zero to 10 and lastly, children aged 16 to 18.

In relation to male victims, the age groups most frequently targeted are 11 to 12 years of age, followed by zero to10 year and 13 to 18.

The most common perpetrators (ordered from most common to least common) are: fathers, mothers, uncles, neighbours, stepmothers, unknown people (strangers), teachers, grandfathers, and friends.

According to the data acquired by the hotline, the city and province of Maputo registered the most mistreatment towards children, followed by Nampula, Inhambane and Tete.

Source: Rhula / A Verdade