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Published on Saturday, October 11, 2008
By LA Daily News Staff Writer
MAPUTO, Mozambique - Graca Machel, a Mozambican human rights campaigner and the country's former first lady, appealed to schools Saturday to take more action to prevent children being kidnapped and sold into prostitution.
Machel, who is married to former South African President Nelson Mandela, said Mozambique was targeted by child traffickers because it did too little to protect the young.
"The vulnerability of many schools arises from the fact that they are not protected by walls or fences, and have no security guards. Anyone can enter," she told The Associated Press.
"Pupils, particularly girls, are exposed to the risk of falling into the hands of criminals, who kidnap them for forced labor or for prostitution", she said.
A UNICEF report last year estimated that 1,000 women and children were trafficked from Mozambique to neighboring South Africa annually and said that sexual abuse in schools was a major problems
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