Appeal to halt trade in children
Monday, October 13th, 200813/10/08
Graca Machel, wife of Nelson Mandela and Mozambique’s former first lady, has pleaded with schools to take more action to prevent children being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. The human rights campaigner said Mozambique was being targeted by child traffickers because it did little to protect the young. “The vulnerability of many schools arises from the fact they are not protected by walls or fences, and have no security guards. Anyone can enter,” she said. “Pupils, particularly girls, are exposed to the risk of falling into the hands of criminals, who kidnap them for forced labour or for prostitution.” Police are investigating at least two cases where children were recently kidnapped from a primary school in the southern city of Matola.
