Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports
Mozambique
Moderate Advancement
In 2023, Mozambique made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. In August 2023, the government enacted Law No. 13/2023 that raised the minimum working age to 18, absent permission given by a legal guardian, and the Council of Ministers approved the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons 2023–2027. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security also carried out 856 awareness-raising talks on the worst forms of child labor. However, the established minimum age for work is not in compliance with international labor standards because it does not extend to informal employment. Lastly, existing social programs are insufficient to fully address the extent of the child labor problem in Mozambique.
| Children | Age | Percent of Population |
|---|---|---|
| Working | 5 to 14 | 16.2% (1,270,866) |
| Hazardous Work by Children | 15 to 17 | Unavailable |
| Attending School | 5 to 14 | 63.6% |
| Combining Work and School | 7 to 14 | 10.2% |
| Sector/Industry | Percent of Population |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | 91.3% |
| Industry | 1.4% |
| Services | 7.3% |
| Sector/Industry | Activity |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | Working in farming, including the production of tobacco in small-scale farms,† and handling dangerous pesticides and tools, and herding livestock. Working in fishing,† including catching and transporting bait and fish, handling nets, and cleaning boats. Engaged in forestry,† including cutting and climbing trees, and hunting, including small and wild animals. |
| Industry | Engaged in artisanal mining† and working in construction.† |
| Services | Engaged in domestic work,† including childcare.† Engaged in street work, including street vending, and car washing.† |
| Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡ | Forced labor in domestic work, farming, mining, and vending. Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Use in illicit activities, including drug trafficking, stealing, assisting poachers in the illegal poaching industry, and recruitment of children by non-state armed groups for use in armed conflict. |
† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.
In 2023, children were forcibly recruited and used as soldiers, cooks, and laborers in northern Mozambique by the United States government-designated terrorist group ISIS-Mozambique.
Children at Higher Risk
By the end of 2023, approximately 850,000 people, many of them children, were internally displaced due to increased terrorist-related violence in Cabo Delgado Province and natural disasters, placing them at a higher risk of child labor. Children with HIV/AIDS or who are orphans of parents who passed away due to AIDS are particularly vulnerable to child labor and its worst forms.
Barriers to Education Access
Although primary education is tuition-free through the ninth grade, families must provide school supplies, uniforms, and, in most cases, meals. Barriers to education for children also include a lack of schools and classroom space, poor school infrastructure, a lack of meals at most schools, and an overall lack of school resources. Many students, particularly in rural areas, face difficulties traveling long distances to get to school. In addition, physical and sexual abuse is common in schools, and research found that some male teachers coerce female students into sex. The government estimates that only 49 percent of children complete their primary education. Further, some LGBTQI+ students faced discrimination at secondary schools, leading many to drop out before completing schooling. Children with disabilities also faced discrimination, in addition to a lack of accommodations. The increased rate of displacement due to insecurity in Cabo Delgado Province creates additional barriers to secondary education for some children due to a lack of secondary schools or overcrowding. Security forces occupied and used three schools in 2023.
| Standard | Age | Meets International Standards | Legislation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Age for Work | 18 | ✗ | Article 29 of the Labor Law |
| Minimum Age for Hazardous Work | 18 | ✗ | Article 29 of the Labor Law; Article 3 of the Hazardous Work List |
| Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children | 18 | ✓ | Hazardous Work List |
| Prohibition of Slavery, Debt Bondage, and Forced Labor | ✓ | Articles 10, 11, and 17 of the Trafficking in Persons Law; Articles 196 and 198 of the Penal Code | |
| Prohibition of Child Trafficking | ✓ | Articles 5, 10, and 11 of the Trafficking in Persons Law | |
| Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children | ✓ | Articles 5, 10, and 11 of the Trafficking in Persons Law | |
| Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities | ✓ | Articles 33 and 40 of the Law on Drugs | |
| Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment | 18 | ✓ | Article 23 of the Law on Military Service |
| Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military | ✓ | Article 2 of the Law on Military Service | |
| Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups | ✓ | Articles 5 and 10 of the Trafficking in Persons Law | |
| Compulsory Education Age | 15‡ | ✗ | Article 41 of the Law of Basic Child Protection; Article 7 of the Law on the National System of Education |
| Free Public Education | ✓ | Article 41 of the Law of Basic Child Protection; Article 7 of the Law on the National System of Education |
‡ Age calculated based on available information
In August 2023, the new Law No. 13/2023 raised the minimum working age to 18, with exceptions granted for children aged 15 or older if permission is given by a legal guardian. The Labor Law's minimum age protections do not meet international standards as they do not apply to children working outside of formal employment relationships. The Labor Law also states that children between the ages of 12 and 15 may work under certain conditions defined by the Council of Ministers, and the Regulations on Domestic Work allow children between the ages of 12 and 15 to perform domestic work with the permission of their legal guardian. However, this minimum age of 12 for light work is not in compliance with international standards, as the age for light work should be 13 years old.
| Organization/Agency | Role & Activities |
|---|
| Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MITESS): Enforces child labor laws and regulations. Monitors implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat the Worst Forms of Child Labor. |
| Ministry of the Interior and the Attorney General's Office: The National Police Force functions under the Ministry of the Interior and enforces all criminal laws, including those related to the worst forms of child labor. Through its National Criminal Investigation Service, investigates and refers cases of human trafficking and violence against women and children to the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General's Office coordinates the government’s efforts against human trafficking and child labor, leads the National Reference Group for the Protection of Children and Combating Trafficking in Persons, and operates a phone hotline for reporting child labor cases. |
| Overview of Enforcement Efforts | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Has a Labor Inspectorate | Yes |
| Able to Assess Civil Penalties | Yes |
| Routinely Conducted Worksite Inspections | Unknown |
| Unannounced Inspections Permitted | Yes |
| Has a Complaint Mechanism | Yes |
| Imposed Penalties for Child Labor Violations | Unknown |
| Conducted Criminal Investigations for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes | Unknown |
| Imposed Penalties for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes | Unknown |
It is unknown whether Mozambique's 156 labor inspectors conducted worksite inspections or whether child labor violations were found in 2023. It is also unknown whether investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor were conducted, prosecutions were initiated, or perpetrators were convicted.
| Coordinating Body | Role & Activities |
|---|
| Multisectoral Group on Child Labor: Led by MITESS, serves as the main coordinating mechanism for child labor and is responsible for implementing the National Action Plan to Combat the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Includes representatives from every ministry, reports to the Prime Minister, and submits regular reports to the Council of Ministers. In collaboration with the National Reference Group—the entity responsible for addressing Mozambique's human trafficking problem—assists children found in child labor. Research was unable to determine whether the Multisectoral Group on Child Labor was active during the reporting period. |
| Policy | Description & Activities |
|---|
| National Action Plan to Combat the Worst Forms of Child Labor: Aimed to address the underlying reasons for child labor in the geographic regions of concern (the provinces of Tete, Manica, and Maputo, and Maputo City), and focused on principal sectors in which child labor occurs (mining, domestic work, and agriculture). Included activities such as mapping 70 percent of occurrences of the worst forms of child labor by province and withdrawing 20,000 children from the worst forms of child labor and enrolling them in the Basic Social Subsidy program. Called for improved coordination between several key government agencies, including the Attorney General’s Office and the Office for Assistance to Families and Children Victims of Violence in the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Action, among others. Also created a multisector group comprising representatives from the government, civil society, unions, and employers in the formal and informal sectors to collaborate on issues identified in the plan. In 2023, the government trained frontline officials and community leaders, working with NGO partners, to provide services for children removed from child labor, and held 856 awareness-raising talks on combating the worst forms of child labor in all 11 provinces, focused on places where child labor is known to occur. |
| National Action Plan for the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons (2023–2027):† Established in August 2023, aims to respond to trafficking in persons through the prevention, detection, investigation, and protection and assistance of victims. Also intended to reinforce coordination among stakeholders. Research was unable to determine whether activities were undertaken to implement the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons during the reporting period. |
† Policy was approved during the reporting period.
| Program | Description & Activities |
|---|
| Memorandum of Understanding to Combat Child Labor in Tobacco Growing (2018–2024): $1.2 million, 3-year project funded by the Eliminating Child Labor in Tobacco Growing Foundation, focusing on education, awareness raising, institutional capacity building, and revision of the government's legal framework. Incorporates training for law enforcement officials. During the reporting period, the government conducted at least one working visit to a remote province to assess the progress of anti-child labor efforts. |
For information about USDOL’s projects to address child labor around the world, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/ilab-project-page-search
| Area | Suggested Action |
|---|---|
| Legal Framework | Establish a compulsory education age of 18, the minimum age for employment. |
| Extend minimum age protections for all children, including children working outside of formal employment relationships. | |
| Raise the minimum age for light work from 12 years old to 13 years old to comply with international labor standards. | |
| Enforcement | Publish data on labor law enforcement and criminal law enforcement efforts, such as the number of prosecutions initiated, convictions secured, and whether penalties for violations related to the worst forms of child labor were imposed. |
| Provide labor inspectors with adequate financial resources, including vehicles and fuel, to ensure their capacity to enforce child labor laws. | |
| Coordination | Ensure that responsibilities between the Multisectoral Group on Child Labor and the National Reference Group are clearly defined, and strengthen coordination between the two agencies. |
| Ensure that there is an effective approach to address and eliminate child labor in the informal sector. | |
| Social Programs | Take measures to ensure that all children, including children in displaced communities, have access to education by providing supplies, uniforms, and an adequate number of schools, classroom space, and trained teachers; address barriers for children from rural areas; take preventative steps to protect children from physical and sexual abuse in schools. |
| Institute programs to address child labor in domestic work, and expand existing programs to address the full scope of the child labor problem. |
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