The government of Mozambique is in the process of revising its legal framework to enhance the protection of minors online, aiming to address the increasing incidents of digital violence against children and girls.
To tackle the urgent safety risks confronting the youth, the National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (INTIC) organised a strategic webinar titled “Legal Framework of ICTs and Online Child Protection in Mozambique: Current Situation, Challenges, Opportunities and Perspectives.”
This regulatory initiative arises against the backdrop of a United Nations report indicating that fewer than 40% of African nations have laws that specifically target digital violence. The lack of legislative safeguards exposes approximately 1.78 billion women and girls across the continent to risks. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this issue is even more pronounced, with merely 25% of countries offering relevant legal protections.
While neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Eswatini, Mauritius, and Rwanda have enacted comprehensive cybercrime laws, enforcement remains inconsistent, often neglecting gender-specific protections.
Rosa Dique, head of the Data Protection Department at INTIC, emphasised the urgent need for the state to modernise its laws to better protect youth from online dangers. She highlighted specific threats including online sexual abuse, child exploitation, cyberbullying, harassment, grooming, and the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images.
“The government must ensure there are effective systems in place to receive, investigate, and respond to reports of crimes against children and girls in digital spaces,” Dique stated. She also urged the launch of ongoing digital literacy campaigns for parents, guardians, educators, and communities.
Additionally, under the INTIC’s Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents (ECA Digital), social media platforms are now legally required to identify and report suspected offences against minors to local authorities.
INTIC officials are currently formulating robust reporting standards to minimise delays in criminal investigations. “These guidelines will be included in a decree expected to be published by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security in July. The aim is to streamline the analysis of materials and expedite investigations into networks exploiting children sexually,” the institute reported.
Thais Gomes, a consultant and data protection expert at INTIC, raised concerns about the dangers of exposing children to public digital platforms without parental consent. She called for the swift establishment of specialised incident-reporting portals, enhanced parental controls, improved cybersecurity literacy, and secure digital identities to foster safer online practices.
As the digital revolution propels African governments to revise their technology and data legislation, experts caution that the disparity between advancing technology and outdated regulatory frameworks has never been more pronounced.
