Maputo, 3 Feb – The Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) has called for far-reaching reforms in the national justice system, with a view to guaranteeing effective protection of children’s rights and strengthening the rule of law.
According to OAM Chairperson, Carlos Martins, who was speaking on Monday at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Judicial Year, the commitment to defending children’s rights should not be limited to formal declarations, but should translate into concrete actions.
“This commitment should not be just a declaration of interest, but a call to attention to our collective conscience. There is an urgent need to reform the Law on the Organization of Child Protection, considering that the current legal framework has gaps that hinder the effective implementation of juvenile justice”, he said.
Martins believes that the current legislation does not clearly address crimes such as “the violation of child support obligations, which means that there is a need to improve coordination between the courts and social assistance institutions.”
He also called for the creation of specific juvenile detention centres to ensure the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, preventing them from mixing with adult prisoners in common penitentiaries.
“This demands independence of the judicial system, with greater budgetary autonomy for the courts and more public investment in the sector. Over the last five years, the justice budget has been reduced by a third, a situation that has affected technological modernization and the motivation of magistrates”, he said.
“The lack of investment compromises the credibility of justice”, Martins added.
He also warned of the risks of excessive restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information, advocating prudence in the approval of laws and regulations on social communication and telecommunications.
He warned that the OAM will fight for the government’s latest regulations to be declared unconstitutional. These regulations have been strongly criticised because they apparently allow the authorities to shut down the Internet on spurious grounds of “national security”.
(AIM)
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