Mozambique is expected to submit its application to Voluntary Principles initiative on Security and Human Rights mechanism in September.
The VPI is a multi-stakeholder initiative that promotes the implementation of a set of principles that guide companies on providing security for their operations while respecting human rights, according to the initiative’s website.
The initiative includes governments, companies and Non-Governmental Organisations, who commit to confront human rights abuses and violations.
This was communicated by Justice Minister, Helena Kida, at a high-level meeting that took place in London, last week.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the VPI mechanism admitted the gemstone miner Gemfields, which has a 75 percent stake in the Montepuez Ruby Mine (MRM), in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado – in 2019, Gemfiels agreed to pay $8.3 million to settle 273 claims of killings, severe beatings and house burnings related to the Montepuez ruby mines
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Mozambique has been toying with the idea of joining the VPI mechanism for a while. Last November, a high-level delegation visited Maputo to continue dialogue and provide the necessary support to the government towards the implementation of the voluntary principles.
It is against this backdrop that Mozambique confirmed in London that it will submit its application in September. However, Mozambique has in the past joined various organisations that tackle human rights issues but with limited change internally.
For example, it currently seats in the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member. That did not stop the police to brutally crackdown on peaceful demonstrations held nationwide to honour the late rapper Edson da Luz, known by his stage name Azagaia, in March.
Two weeks ago, police in Cabo Delgado detained a youth activist for 24 hours simply because he was holding placards protesting the war in the streets of the capital, Pemba. He was released the following day and left the police station without speaking to the press, as a police car took him home.
Human Rights Defender and activist Adriano Novunga said that the biggest problem is that the Ministry of Justice does not hold much sway over the security forces, which now and then brutalise the citizens.
Novunga added that it will be up to civil society to continue monitoring Mozambique’s behaviour and denounce whenever the state and private companies violate the human rights of the citizens.
It is interesting that Mozambique should want to join the VPI mechanism. By joining, it will have to address the increasingly shrinking civic space, including that of journalists.
In theory, the government will be held accountable to ensure that human rights defenders are protected.
It also makes sense that Gemfields sought to join and was formally admitted last Thursday, as it seeks to clean up its image following the $8.3 million settlement.
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