The police in Mozambique reported the detention of six individuals and the rescue of 38 children who were being exploited. The spokesperson for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), Dérco Samuel, made a statement at a press conference in Nampula, urging the public, especially parents and guardians, to remain vigilant and immediately report such cases to the police.
According to police data, out of the total number of intercepted children, at least 20 were found at the Malema railway station in the country's northern province. The latest incident involved 11 minors found with two suspects who were arrested on Saturday in the Mecuburi district of the same province.
Mozambican police specified that these 11 children were being exploited in agricultural production. The arrest occurred after receiving a tip from the district command that two men were at the Namina railway station with a group of minors and were preparing to board a train heading to Kuamba.
Dérco Samuel, speaking at the press conference, explained that they received information about two individuals accompanying 11 children who planned to travel to Kuamba. The police detained these two suspects and escorted them, along with the children, to the Namina police station, where an investigation was conducted and information regarding the children's origins and intended destination was gathered.
The police spokesperson stated that the suspects admitted to recruiting the children at the Namina administrative post to subsequently take them to work on farms in the Kuamba and Mandimba districts, in Niassa province. The police strongly urged increased control over cases of child exploitation, advising parents and guardians to pay closer attention to children, especially when approached by people promising work or other opportunities outside their communities.
The police warned that child labor itself is a crime and asked parents and guardians not to support this criminal activity. Law enforcement agencies stated that they are investigating and working to bring those responsible to justice. Previously, in February, the President of Mozambique appealed to the judicial system to protect children and hold adults who recruit them for criminal activities accountable, emphasizing that childhood should not be used as a 'shield for criminal networks.'