The Mozambican Association of Women in the Legal Profession (AMMCJ) proposed on Monday, July 6, a partnership with the Assembly of the Republic (AR) to strengthen the dissemination of laws, promote human rights, and intensify the fight against gender-based violence. The proposal was presented during a meeting between the association’s president, Lídia Gulele, and the Speaker of Parliament, Margarida Talapa.
According to Lídia Gulele, the association is already carrying out initiatives to disseminate laws passed by the AR to communities and intends to expand this work. “We disseminate the laws passed by Parliament to communities. We also want Mozambique to be familiar with the laws in order to promote a culture of legal awareness and enable citizens to defend themselves in the event of human rights violations,” she said.
She explained that the intended cooperation aims to strengthen legal education in communities and support initiatives related to the defense of human rights. The work is expected to involve female judges, prosecutors, lawyers, registrars, and law students, drawing on the experience of these professionals to bring justice closer to citizens.
Lídia Gulele also emphasized the need for joint action to combat gender-based violence, a problem that continues to affect the country. “In Mozambique, there continues to be a high number of cases of domestic violence—that is, gender-based violence. Together, these two institutions can cooperate to mitigate this problem,” she said.
The association’s president added that AMMCJ intends to collaborate with the parliamentary committees responsible for human rights, constitutional affairs, and gender issues. The organization is also open to signing a memorandum of understanding to provide a framework for future joint actions. “We are pleased that the Speaker of Parliament has accepted our request, and we are ready to cooperate with the AR in these areas,” she said.
The AMMCJ brings together professionals from different areas of the justice sector, including female judges, prosecutors, lawyers, notaries, and law students. The association carries out initiatives focused on legal education, the promotion of human rights, and the defense of gender equality in Mozambique.
The proposal for cooperation comes amid growing concern about gender-based violence and sexual harassment in the country. In recent months, several public figures and organizations have drawn attention to the need to strengthen prevention efforts, hold perpetrators accountable, and raise awareness of the laws that protect victims.
In this context, on April 17, social activist Graça Machel spoke out in Maputo against the normalization of sexual harassment and the “very weak” accountability of perpetrators, calling for harsher punishments. Meanwhile, on April 2, the president of the Mozambican Association of Judges called for greater public awareness of the law against sexual harassment, warning that a lack of knowledge about the legislation prevents victims from filing complaints and hinders efforts to combat these practices.
Source: Lusa
