'In June, Mozambique recorded five cases of human trafficking for sexual and labor exploitation’ 29 July 2025

In the first half of this year, the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) registered five criminal cases for internal human trafficking for the purposes of sexual and labor exploitation in the provinces of Maputo, Niassa, Tete and Sofala. The information was shared this Monday (28) in Maputo by the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic, Amabélia Chuquela, during the Academic Forum on Human Trafficking. According to Chuquela, quoted by AIMIn the same period, two criminal cases of trafficking with international connections were registered, which are currently being investigated by the Central Office for Combating Organized and Transnational Crime (GCCCOT).

…Human trafficking is a serious violation of human rights and every year thousands of people - especially women, children and young people - fall victim to this crime, being exploited sexually or for work, subjected to organ removal, forced begging, forced unions or criminal activities. Mozambique is not immune to this phenomenon. According to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons for 2024, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), women and girls continue to represent the largest group of identified victims worldwide, with 61 percent of cases recorded in 2022. The majority continue to be trafficked for sexual exploitation, a pattern that has been repeated for several years.

For the Deputy Attorney General, strengthening the training and capacity building of professionals is essential in preventing, identifying and assisting victims, as well as raising awareness in society through debates, seminars and information campaigns. "The fight against human trafficking also requires raising awareness in society, in order to train citizens capable of identifying signs of solicitation, reporting it and providing the necessary support to victims." For his part, the UNODC representative in Mozambique, António de Vivo, reiterated the organization's commitment to continue supporting the country in the fight against this transnational crime. "In the coming months, UNODC will continue to intensify its institutional support, through the implementation of strategic actions aimed at strengthening the technical and operational capacity of the actors involved in combating human trafficking in Mozambique," he said.