Chapo issues ultimatum against violence and poverty: "Mozambican women cannot wait any longer"

The President of the Republic, Daniel Francisco Chapo, declared this Wednesday, at the opening of the VIII National Conference on Women and Gender, that the elimination of gender-based violence and the eradication of poverty are "absolute priorities" on the national agenda until 2030. In an incisive speech, the Head of State not only praised the progress made, but also outlined a realistic and challenging panorama, stating that the State and civil society need to row together in the same direction, otherwise the cycle of female exclusion will continue.

"We have reason to be proud of the progress in education, health, access to land, and the growing political participation of women. However, the numbers still stubbornly show that inequalities persist and that domestic violence continues to stain Mozambican homes," Chapo stressed, before an audience composed of activists, government officials, and representatives of civil society.

The statesman went beyond diagnosis and called for immediate action: on the one hand, he demanded the adoption of concrete and measurable commitments to accelerate women's empowerment; on the other, he reinforced that the fight against poverty cannot be dissociated from the economic autonomy of girls and women. "It is not enough to open schools if girls are forced into early marriage. It is not enough to create laws if victims of violence do not find effective protection networks," he warned, advocating an integrated approach that involves everything from the judicial system to rural communities.

The conference, held under the theme "Women and Development: Towards the 2030 Agenda," serves as a platform for reviewing public gender policies. While the President acknowledged the successes achieved – such as the increase in women in decision-making positions and the improvement in maternal health indicators – he himself stressed that the road ahead is still long and full of structural obstacles.

"The empowerment of Mozambican women is not a favor the State does, but rather an indispensable condition for the sustainable development of the country," emphasized Chapo, challenging those present to transform the declarations into tangible actions. In this sense, he announced that the Executive will strengthen the monitoring mechanisms for equality policies, promising greater rigor in the application of the Law against Domestic Violence and the creation of specific funds to support rural women entrepreneurs.

The conference concludes on Friday with the expectation that concrete commitments will be made between the various sectors of society, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the President's tone made it clear that the time for diagnoses is over: "Now is the time for joint action. Mozambican women cannot wait any longer until 2030. The future we want is built today, with courage and truth," he concluded, to strong applause.