What You Need to Know
The Mozambican Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) is set to build forensic interview rooms to improve the legal process for victims, defendants, and witnesses. This initiative aims to prevent the need for repeated testimonies and will be piloted in Nampula, Sofala, and Maputo provinces. Supported by international partners, the project emphasizes gender-sensitive practices in the justice system.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) has announced a project to build forensic interview rooms in order to prevent victims, defendants and witnesses from repeating their testimony in multiple instances.
According to PGR representative Cláudia Lemos, speaking on Monday in Maputo at a roundtable discussion on “Gender-Sensitive Instruction and Trials”, these forensic interview rooms will be equipped with recording systems “and adequate privacy conditions.”
The pilot phase of the project will be implemented in Nampula, Sofala and Maputo provinces.
“With the support of partners such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Canada, over 200 magistrates have already benefited from capacity-building actions in active listening and human rights”, said Lemos.
Lemos also said that the country’s justice system must become more inclusive by creating specific lines of action on gender-sensitive matters. “This demands goals linked to training, improving service conditions, and monitoring indicators”, she said.
The magistrate believes that there have been persistent structural weaknesses in the preliminary investigation phase of criminal proceedings and this lies in the inadequate conditions for collecting testimony.
“Many police stations and criminal investigation sections lack welcoming and private rooms, forcing women, children, or gay people to recount intimate partner violence in corridors or shared spaces,” she said.
“It is still common for victims to be asked about their past behavior, clothing, or relationship with the aggressor, as if such facts could justify or mitigate the violence suffered”, she added.
The establishment of forensic interview rooms in Mozambique is a significant step towards improving the justice system, particularly for vulnerable populations. Historically, victims of violence have faced challenges in recounting their experiences due to inadequate facilities, which often lack privacy and comfort. This initiative reflects a growing recognition of the need for a more inclusive and sensitive approach to legal proceedings, particularly in cases involving gender-based violence and other sensitive issues.
