Chapters Chapter 3 - Overview of SRHR in Africa MozambiqueMOZAMBIQUE: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
Current situation
1. CURRENT SITUATION
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS
Mozambique is one of international cooperation’s favourite countries and has developed high levels of ownership in the sectors of health and gender equality. With an HDI of 0.328 it occupies the 165th position in the 2010 UNDP ranking, i.e. it is amongst the five most impoverished countries on the planet. Thus, more than 50% of its population live below the poverty threshold.
SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS INDICATORS
FERTILITY RATE
In this aspect, we should point out that the fertility rate of Mozambican women remains relatively high, at 5.5 children per woman and a difference of two children per woman between those living in rural areas (6.2 children) and those in urban areas (4.4 children).
MATERNAL MORTALITY
According to the latest data available, maternal mortality in Mozambique currently stands at 408 deaths for every 100,000 live births. Births attended by qualified staff only account for 50% of the total, and the same can be said of the percentage of births that take place in a health centre, although in this case the huge difference between the situation in urban areas (81%) and rural ones (33.9%) stands out. Prenatal care with four visits during pregnancy stands at 53% although the average time of pregnancy at which women receive their first appointment is too late, which makes the whole care process less effective. The percentage of women who receive at least one visit after birth is around 40%.
PREVALENCE OF CONTRACEPTION
In terms of family planning, the rate of prevalence of contraception is a mere 11.80%, the pill being the most frequent modern method used (4.9%).
EARLY MOTHERHOOD
In Mozambique young women start to have children quite early, and 42.9% of teenage women between the ages of 15 and 19 have already had at least one child at that age. We can therefore deduce, among other things, the need to strengthen access for young people of both sexes to information and sex education.
EARLY MARRIAGE
By the age of 18 almost 50% of young women are married, as are 13.6% of young men.
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
The DHS does not give data on gender-based violence, but it does state that some 55% of women justify physical violence by men in at least one of the following cases: when the wife: leaves the house without telling the husband (36.8%), refuses to have sex with her partner (38.1%), questions his decisions (33.2%) or burns the food when cooking (23.7%). There is no data available on female genital mutilation.
UNSAFE ABORTION
36 out of every 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 44. It is illegal except when the mother’s life is in danger but new legislation is currently awaited that would legalize it in the first 12 weeks.
SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION
Relations between men and between women are illegal.
HIV/AIDS
In terms of HIV/AIDS, Mozambique is, together with Namibia, one of the countries in this study with major problems. The prevalence stands at 11.5%, and the degree of feminization is worrying. Data disaggregated by sex shows that 9.2% of men are affected as compared to 13.1% of women. This feminisation affects young women even more as 11% of them are infected before the age of 24, as compared to 3.7% of their male counterparts.
Instruments and policies
2. SRHR: INSTRUMENTS, MECHANISMS, LEGISLATION AND POLICIES
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS SIGNED ON GENDER EQUALITY
The Government has signed the main international instruments on protection of women’s rights, including CEDAW, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and its respective additional protocols, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Beijing Action Platform, the Cairo Programme of Action on Population and Development, the Protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Additional Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish trafficking in Persons.
NATIONAL LEGISLATION FRAMEWORK ON GENDER EQUALITY
As for internal legislation, articles 35 and 36 of the 2004 Constitution of Mozambique recognise equality between men and women and ban any legislative, political, economic or social discrimination. Similarly, the new Family Law adopted in 2004 represents a break with the past in the recognition of gender equality in marriage, divorce, the custody of children, land rights and the division of marital goods. Moreover, domestic violence is recognised as a cause for divorce and the minimum legal age for marriage is set at 18 (art. 30). These and other steps forward help to explain why Mozambique occupies a relatively high position in the 2010 gender-adapted Human Development Index (position 111) but at the same time we should remember that the legal norms do not reflect reality on the ground, as we can see that forced early marriages persist, as do polygamy, difficulties to access property rights and the justice system, as well as sexual and reproductive health care.
On a pragmatic level, Mozambique stands out as being one of the African countries that has drawn up and passed a Law on Domestic Violence against Women, (Law 29/2009 of 29th of September) and a Law against Trafficking of Human Beings (Law 6/2008 of 9th June).
Interruption of pregnancy could soon be legal if Parliament passes a new Law that was recently passed by the Cabinet. Under the current law, abortion is a crime except in some circumstances, such as when the life of the mother is at risk or when she is not mentally or physically capable of looking after the child. Some health centres offer pregnancy termination services but the fees charged are beyond the possibilities of many Mozambican women who end up resorting to irregular clinics where they abort in irregular or unsafe conditions. With the new law, the interruption of pregnancy would be legal in the first 12 weeks.
POLICIES AND STRATEGIES IN GENDER EQUALITY, SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS
Likewise, the country has a National Gender Policy (2006), a National Policy of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (2007), a National Health Plan (2007) and several Strategic National Plans to fight HIV/AIDS that have successively been put into place since 2003. At the same time, in 2008, the government introduced a new Strategy for the Acceleration of the Prevention of Infection by HIV. In terms of maternal health, apart from the documents mentioned above, Mozambique has developed several specific initiatives ranging from the National Plan for the Reduction of Maternal and New-born Mortality (2000) to the Operational Plan for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality (2006). We could also indicate a similar situation in the specific case of teenagers and young people of both sexes, where Mozambique also has a National Youth Policy dating back to 1996, reviewed in 2006, which recognises and promotes access by this population to sexual and reproductive health information and services and, as of 2001, a National Policy on Teenage Reproductive Health. Likewise, in the area of family planning, there is a National Population Policy (1999), which recognises the rights of couples to decide how many children to have. In 2008, the draft version of a Family Planning and Contraception Strategy was drawn up by the Ministry of Health; we do not have information as to whether or not it was finally approved.
Mozambique has subscribed the Campaign for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality (CARMMA).
The National Council for the Advance of Women is the mechanism for the participation of civil society in the definition and elaboration of policies and strategies on gender and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Map of actors
3. MAP OF ACTORS
SOCIETY EXAMPLES
All the progress made in the protection of women’s rights in Mozambique has been possible thanks to the women’s movement’s fight, as they have worked unceasingly for the modification of the Family Law and the Penal Code as well as for the approval of all the laws mentioned above. Some of the most representative organizations of this movement include WLSA or Forum Mulher, together with others that work more specifically in the field of SRHRs, such as the Association for Family Planning (Associação para o Planeamento da Familia [APF]).
Summary tables
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MOZAMBIQUE |
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HDI |
165 |
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FERTILITY RATE |
5.5 children per woman |
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MATERNAL MORTALITY |
408 deaths for every 100,000 live births |
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PREVALENCE OF CONTRACEPTION |
11.8 % |
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EARLY MOTHERHOOD |
42.9 % of women aged between 15 and 19 have already been pregnant at least once. |
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EARLY MARRIAGE |
By the age of 18 almost 55.9% of young women and 13.6% of young men are married. |
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GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE |
55% of women justify physical violence by husbands. |
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UNSAFE ABORTION |
36 of every 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 . |
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SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION |
Relations between people of the same sex are illegal . |
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HIV/AIDS |
11.5% in total, 13.1% women and 9.2% men . |
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MOZAMBIQUE Human Development Index: 105 |
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1.CURRENT SITUATION |
2. INSTRUMENTS, MECHANISMS, LEGISLATION AND POLICIES |
3. MAP OF ACTORS |
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Sexual and Reproductive Rights Indicators |
International Gender Equality Instruments Ratified |
National Legislation |
Gender Equality and SRHR Policies and Strategies |
CIVIL SOCIETY EXAMPLES in SDSR |
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- FERTILITY RATE: 5.5 children per woman and a difference of two children per women between those living in rural areas (6.2 children) and those in urban areas (4.4 children). - MATERNAL MORTALITY: 408 deaths for every 100,000 live births. 50% of births attended by qualified personnel in health centres; 81% of births in urban areas and 33,9%, in rural areas. - PREVALENCE OF CONTRACEPTION: 11.80%; the pill is the method most often used. - EARLY MOTHERHOOD: 42% of women between the ages of 15 and 19 have already had at least one child. - EARLY MARRIAGE: almost 60% of young people of both sexes are married by the age of 18 - GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE: the DHS does not contain data on GBV, but does state that 55% of women justify physical violence by husbands. - UNSAFE ABORTION: 36 of every 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 44. - SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION: Relations between people of the same sex are illegal. - HIV/AIDS: The prevalence stands at 11.5%, the feminization of which as shown by the data broken down by sex: men (9.2%) and women (13.1%); it affects young people of both sexes more: 11% contract HIV before the age of 24. |
- CEDAW - African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and its respective additional protocols - Beijing Action Platform - Cairo Programme of Action on Population and Development - UN Convention on the trafficking of human beings. - Additional Protocol to Prevent Suppress and Punish trafficking in Persons - Protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime |
- The Constitution recognises equality between men and women and bans any kind of legislative, political, economic or social discrimination. - The 2004 Family Law recognises the equality of men and women in marriage, divorce, legal custody of children, land rights, division of marital goods, domestic violence as a cause for divorce; the legal age for marriage is set at 18. - Law on Domestic Violence against Women. - Law against the Trafficking of People. - The current law stipulates that abortion is a crime except, for example, when the mother’s life is in danger or when she is not physically or mentally fit to look after a child. |
- Gender Policy, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights - Health Policy - Strategic Plans to fight HIV/AIDS since 2003. - Strategy for the Acceleration of the Prevention of HIV infection - Plan to Reduce maternal and New-born Mortality - Operation Plan for the Reduction of maternal mortality - Youth Policy, - Teenage Reproductive Health Policy - Population Policy |
Some representative organisations include: - WLSA - Forum Mulher - Family Planning Association
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Map of sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa and Spain - Chapter 3 - Mozambique