World Vision Mozambique Partners with the Attorney General's Office for Child Protection

World Vision Mozambique and the Attorney General’s Office have formalized a partnership aimed at strengthening protection mechanisms for the most vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on children, girls, women, people with disabilities and the elderly.

Under the agreement, the two institutions commit to joint actions to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and abuse, combat early unions, and promote and safeguard fundamental rights.

World Vision Mozambique’s National Director, Maria Carolina da Silva, noted that the partnership is being formalized in the same year that the Attorney General's Office has set as a priority the “Promotion and Full Protection of Children’s Rights.”

In her remarks, she called for targeted investment in local structures and a stronger justice administration system. “We must continue to invest in community awareness and mobilization, leveraging the role of religious leaders, while also strengthening the capacity of the different actors within the justice system,” she said.

Carolina da Silva also used the opportunity to advocate for actions that will accelerate the country’s fight against early unions, calling for:

• Courts allocate one day per week to process cases of child marriage;
• Establishment of specialized sections within courts to handle cases of gender-based violence, including early unions;

The memorandum of understanding, valid for three years, was signed by the Attorney General’s Secretary, Agostinho Rotuto, and will target the provinces of Gaza, Tete, Nampula, Zambezia and Cabo Delgado.

The Secretary of the Attorney General's office, addressing the audience, said this act symbolizes more than a formal commitment; it reflects a convergence of efforts in pursuit of the fundamental values that guide the work of his institutions for justice, protection of human rights, and the promotion of the well-being of the communities, particularly children and the most vulnerable groups.

“This memorandum paves the way for joint initiatives that will strengthen the protection of children’s rights, combat various forms of violence, and promote a culture of legality and citizenship,” Rotuto said.

World Vision wants to capitalize the memorandum to underscore the urgency of prioritizing interventions that address the needs of children affected by armed attacks in Cabo Delgado province.

Protection is urgently needed for girls like 17-year-old Sumila, one of the 760,000 people displaced by conflict in Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique. Now living in displacement, she struggles to provide food for her family and has resorted to selling her body on the streets in order to survive