Human Rights Watch (HRW) has recently voiced serious concerns regarding the escalating number of child abductions in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province by an armed group linked to the Islamic State, locally known as Al-Shabab. In a distressing update, HRW revealed that the group has kidnapped at least 120 children in recent days. While some children have been released, many remain unaccounted for, facing grim prospects such as forced labor, marriages, combat roles, and involvement in looting.

Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, the deputy Africa director at HRW, underscored the urgency of the situation, stating, "Mozambique’s government needs to take concrete actions to safeguard children and prevent armed groups from using them as tools of conflict. There is a need to ensure that there are robust reintegration measures so that the children are not further ostracized when they come back to the community."

HRW emphasized the necessity for medical care and psychosocial assistance for rescued children. They also stressed the importance of governmental action in preventing further abductions and holding perpetrators accountable.

This alarming trend was also highlighted in a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which pointed out the increasing violence against children and their use by non-state armed groups, a clear violation of children’s rights.

Mozambique's legal framework, including its Constitution and the Law on the Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights 2008, aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. These documents mandate the state to prevent violence, exploitation, and abuse against children. Moreover, international laws, such as Rule 137 of Customary International Humanitarian Law and Article 8(2)(b)((xxvi) of the Rome Statute, criminalize the recruitment of children under 15 into active combat roles, classifying it as a war crime.

The roots of this crisis trace back to a violent insurgency that began in 2017, led by the Islamic State, which has severely destabilized the region and weakened Mozambique’s economy.

Additionally, Amnesty International has also shed light on human rights violations in Mozambique, particularly following the turbulent 2024 election, which included reports of unlawful force and arbitrary detentions by the government.

As international and local authorities scramble to address these severe human rights abuses, the world watches, hoping for a swift and humane resolution to the plight of Cabo Delgado’s children.