Mozambique’s president said on Wednesday that drugs near schools are a “red line”, promising a response “with the full force of the law and the full might of the nation” to protect children and teenagers.
“What sort of country will we be if, on the doorsteps of our schools, death is being sold, wrapped in sweet wrappers, to our children? What future will we build if the hand that should be holding a pencil is lured, at the ages of nine, ten, twelve or thirteen, by the hand that deals out poison?”, asked Daniel Chapo in Maputo at the opening of the National Conference on Drug Prevention and Control.
In his address, delivered before hundreds of guests, including experts from Brazil and Portugal, he stated that Mozambican schools face pressure from drug trafficking networks, describing the situation as one of his greatest concerns.
“The school, which should be a temple of learning and a safe haven for our children, is under siege from drug networks,” he acknowledged.
According to the president, the problem can now be analysed through broader perspectives than crime indicators or statistics.
“We are not talking about numbers, nor about statistics. We are talking about Mozambican children. We are talking about our children. We are talking about our grandchildren. We are talking about our siblings, whose dreams are being stolen before they have even had a chance to blossom,” he said.
Faced with this situation, Daniel Chapo said that the government would not tolerate the spread of drug trafficking and drug use in schools.
“This is a red line that we will uphold (…) The protection of children is a constitutional imperative and a sacred duty of the Mozambican state,” he added, also promising repressive measures against drug sales and consumption points, commonly known as ‘bocas de fumo’.
In criminal investigation and police intervention, he advocated coordinated action by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the courts, the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), and other security forces.
Referring to locations already identified by the authorities, he declared that “the state would always act with firmness”.
“We must identify and shut them down, and hold accountable all those who profit from them, directly or indirectly,” he emphasised.
The president also announced his intention to strengthen prevention efforts amongst young people, advocating the creation and revitalisation of anti-drug groups in public and private educational establishments.
In his speech, Daniel Chapo also highlighted the growing sophistication of drug trafficking, noting that criminal organisations are using digital technologies, encrypted platforms and new payment methods to expand their operations.
He added that the authorities have recorded an increase in drug use, including amongst minors, a situation he believes reflects the scale of the challenge facing the country.
“The scale of this phenomenon is also evident in the emergence of new psychoactive substances and the rise in the number of users, including minors,” he said.
For the president, tackling the problem requires the State, families, schools and communities to jointly mobilise to prevent criminal networks from continuing to recruit users from among the younger sections of the population.
