Mozambican president says drug in schools is red line

O Mozambican President said today that drug in schools is a “red line”, promising a response “with all the authority of the law and with all the strength of the nation” to protect children and adolescents.

“ What country will we be if we sell death wrapped in candy paper to our daughters and children outside our schools? What a future we will build if the hand that should hold the pencil is seduced, at nine, at ten, at twelve, at thirteen, by the hand that distributes the poison”, asked Daniel Chapo, in Maputo, at the opening of the National Conference on Drug Prevention and Combat.

In the intervention, facing hundreds of guests, including experts from Brazil and Portugal, the head of state stated that Mozambican schools are under pressure from drug trafficking networks, describing the situation as one of their biggest concerns.

“The school that should be the temple of knowledge and the safe refuge of our sons and daughters is being harassed by drug networks,” she said.

According to the President, the problem could no longer be examined only through criminal or statistical indicators.

“We are not talking about numbers or statistics. We're talking Mozambican children. We're talking about our sons, our daughters. We're talking about our grandchildren and our granddaughters. We are talking about our brothers and sisters, whose dreams are being stolen before they even bloom,” he said.

Faced with this scenario, Daniel Chapo ensured that the government will not tolerate the expansion of drug trafficking and use in the school environment.

“ This is a red line that we will not allow to see outdated (...) The protection of the child is a constitutional imperative and a sacred duty of the Mozambican State,” he added, also promising repressive measures against drug outlets, commonly known as “smoker mouths.”.

In the field of criminal investigation and police intervention, he defended coordinated actions by the Public Prosecutor, courts, Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) and other security forces.

Referring to places already identified by the authorities, the Head of State stated that “the State cannot and must have any complacency”.

“ Its identification, its closure and the criminal responsibility of all those who, directly or indirectly, take advantage of them”, he stressed.

The President also announced the intention of strengthening prevention among young people by advocating the creation and revitalization of anti-drug centres in public and private schools.

In his speech, Daniel Chapo also warned of the growing sophistication of drug trafficking, referring that criminal organizations use digital technologies, encrypted platforms and new means of payment to expand their operations.

The Head of State added that authorities have seen an increase in drug use, including among minors, a situation that considers reflecting the scale of the challenge faced by the country.

“ The scale of this phenomenon is also manifested in the emergence of new psychoactive substances and in the increase in the number of consumers, including minors”, he said.

For the President, the response to the problem calls for the joint mobilisation of the State, families, schools and communities to prevent criminal networks from continuing to recruit consumers among the younger sections of the population.