Nampula (Mozambique), July 2024 – “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones,” Nelson Mandela famously declared.
To honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison, the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners are known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
In July 2024 – the month in which the International Nelson Mandela Day (18 July) is celebrated – Mozambique took a historic step towards fully implementing the Mandela Rules: the launch of its National Penitentiary Service's Strategic Plan, developed with the technical assistance of UNODC.
Speaking at the launch event, Helena Kida, Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs of Mozambique, said that the Plan represents a clear and detailed vision of how Mozambique can reform and strengthen its prison system.
This reform will seek to guarantee not only prison security, but also compliance with judicial decisions regarding deprivation of liberty, allowing for the rehabilitation and social reintegration of incarcerated persons, she said.
The ultimate purpose of imprisonment – the protection of society from crime – is often undermined in prisons, which are overstretched and poorly managed. In Mozambique, too, the National Penitentiary System faces severe challenges in managing prisons around the country, such as inadequate infrastructures and medical care. The prison population has grown from around 18,000 in 2020 to over 23,000 in 2023, pushing the system to operate at 145% capacity.
Acknowledging such challenges, Kida said that, with the implementation of the Strategic Plan, the sector will have the opportunity to turn these difficulties into opportunities for progress, including through improving infrastructure, strengthening institutional capacity, providing continuous training for prison staff, and increasing the availability of rehabilitation and social reintegration programs.
Prisoners are often a forgotten population, but they are part of our societies. Antonio De Vivo, Head of the UNODC Office in Mozambique, highlighted the broader implications of inadequate prison management. “Experience shows that crime and violence can be cyclical, especially when we neglect the root causes of offenses and deny people second chances."
"Most prisoners will one day be reintegrated into society. Their conditions of incarceration impact public safety and health, social cohesion, and the human dignity of us all,” he explained.
“When we improve prison conditions and invest in efforts to fully rehabilitate prisoners, we all benefit, we all win”, underscored De Vivo, commending Mozambique for the launch of its Strategic Plan. “UNODC is undoubtedly a proud partner of Mozambique in this endeavour and we look forward to celebrating the next milestones.”
UNODC thanks Norway and Portugal for making its assistance to Mozambique in this endeavour possible.
