AFRICA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

427
electoral law’s requirement that public media provide fair and balanced treatment
of all parties during the electoral campaign.
There are no legal restrictions hindering women’s involvement in government;
however, while the number of women in the National Assembly and the Cabinet increased
after the December 1999 elections, women are underrepresented in government
and politics. There are 105 women in the 250-member National Assembly,
three female Cabinet ministers, and five female vice ministers. FRELIMO’s policy
mandates that at least 30 percent of the party’s two governing bodies must be
women. During the year, the Political and Central Committees met this mandate.
Nevertheless, cultural factors inhibit women’s effectiveness in public life (see Section
5).
Section 4. Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation
of Alleged Violations of Human Rights
There are no legal obstacles to the formation of domestic human rights groups,
although registration procedures applying to NGO’s are onerous and expensive (see
Section 2.b.). In December the National Human Rights Association (ANDH) was established
as an umbrella organization for the country’s 13 human rights oriented
NGO’s. The Prison Fellowship of Mozambique (FPM) and the National Association
for the Support and Protection of Prisoners also commenced operations during the
year and conducted prison visits (see Section 1.c.). In October 1999, the DHD published
a report on human rights in the country and plans to report periodically on
human rights. The report’s critical assessment gave particular emphasis to problems
in the judiciary, conditions in prisons, and arbitrary arrest and detention of citizens.
Among the complaints were alleged police killings, domestic violence, labor disputes,
and land title conflicts. The DHD and the LDH conduct human rights education
seminars and workshops for a wide range of audiences including political parties,
security agencies, businesses, and NGO’s.
The Government responded to human rights-related inquiries from the LDH and
the DHD on a case-by-case basis. Both the LDH and the DHD investigated the demonstrations
and deaths in prison in Montepuez and released reports during the year
(see Sections 1.a. and 1.c.). Other rights-oriented groups also have had contact with
the Government.
In July the Chairwoman of the LDH stated that a police contact warned her of
police threats on her life following her appearance in a televised debate in which
she made remarks critical of the PIC. The Government did not respond to the matter.
International NGO’s and human rights groups are permitted to visit and work in
the country. In July Amnesty International visited the country in preparation for
its annual report.
Section 5. Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Religion, Disability, Language, or Social
Status
The Constitution forbids discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or disability;
however, in practice discrimination against women and the disabled persists.
Women.—Although official statistics are not kept, according to health officials,
women’s groups, and other sources, domestic violence against women—particularly
rape and beating—is widespread. Many women believe that their spouses have the
right to beat them, and cultural pressures discourage women from taking legal action
against abusive spouses. There is no law that defines domestic violence as a
crime; however, domestic violence can be prosecuted under other crimes such as
rape, battery, and assault. During the year, the NGO, All Against Violence (TCV)
registered 699 requests for assistance in cases involving domestic violence, of which
10 were forwarded to the courts. In May police commanders from the Maputo area
held a seminar on domestic violence, where they were instructed to handle such
cases as criminal matters. Hospitals usually do not ascribe evidence of physical
abuse to domestic violence. The DHD report on human rights conditions released
in October 1999 gave particular emphasis to the problem of domestic violence (see
Section 4).
A group of women’s NGO’s, including Women in Law and Development,
Mozambican Women in Education, Women in Judicial Careers, and the FRELIMOsponsored
Mozambican Women’s Organization, support the organization All Against
Violence, which serves as a monitoring and educational group for problems of domestic
violence and sexual abuse of women and children, including counseling of victims
and mediating within families. The organization continued to expand during
the year. All NGO’s actively opposing domestic violence worked to involve police in
education, enforcement, and identifying domestic violence as a public order problem.
VerDate 11-MAY-2000 16:11 Sep 19, 2001 Jkt 073776 PO 00000 Frm 00134 Fmt 6621 Sfmt 6621 F:\WORK\COUNTRYR\S71555\71555.004 HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1