Mozambique - Refugees and asylum seekers in Mozambique

2020

Within the limited resources allocated for UNHCR for refugees/asylum-seeker assistance, UNHCR assisted 6.5% of people of concern with special needs. UNHCR alongside INAR and other partners conducted multiple outreach activities to sensitize refugees in Maratane settlement about the advantages of naturalization in 2020. The same exercise has been done with the urban refugees who are impacted differently from the settlement-based people of concern who are more open to receive message. CEMIRDE provided naturalization support including compiling and assisting people of concern with documentation. Despite the COVID-19 situation, UNHCR’s Partner CEMIRDE continued to guide people of concern remotely and processing naturalization applications. The institution provided individual counselling and legal guidance to 17 persons of concern in need of support (2 female and 15 male, and 1 person in Nampula and 16 in Cabo Delgado) between the age of 25 and 50, who have been detained by Mozambiquan authorities. Overall, CEMIRDE carried out legal counselling, as well as legal assistance, and facilitated access to legal institutions to a total of 126 people of concern (85 in Maputo and 41 in Nampula province).

UNHCR and partners implemented a Portuguese language course for refugees and asylum-seekers to help them understand and communicate better in Portuguese. UNHCR observed that the local language skill can facilitate the removal of communication barriers and accelerate the local integration of refugees and asylum-seekers. Regarding registration and documentation, UNHCR delivered a new ID printing machine to INAR in Maputo and provided training on the use of the system. This effort allowed the Government to improve its capacity in production of IDs for people of concern. Additionally, in 2020, UNHCR assisted the Government with ID printing materials both in Nampula and Maputo. In the same year, with UNHCR support, INAR registered 692 individuals. The number of registrations in 2020 reduced, compared to previous years due to the closure of borders, which was declared by the Government following the global outbreak of COVID-19. The forms of gender-based violence most frequently reported by women were physical assault and sexual harassment, survival sex, domestic violence and deprivation of professional activities. In 2020, 19 cases were referred to the governmental partner in Maratane refugee settlement and 10 gender-based violence survivors were assisted through occupational therapy by the Government partner Direcção Provincial de Género, Criança e Acção Social (DPGCAS). In 2020, UNHCR applied to the “Safe from the Start” fund to enhance gender-based violence activities, and the operation partnered (through the District Service of Education) with a local NGO to conduct a gender-based violence safety audit with the vision to have a comprehensive situation overview of the gender-based violence situation in the settlement. While applying a community-based approach, the gender-based violence safety audit was implemented to understand gender-based violence trends and issues in the settlement, as well as relevant gaps and, thus, create awareness among the key respondents and service providers.