Ingomai (Mozambique) 1 Jul - Mozambique's First Lady, Maria da Luz Guebuza, on Saturday called for decisive and concerted actions to stop child abuse, including rape, which shows an increasing trend in recent years.



Addressing a rally in the village of Ingomai, in the central province of Manica, Maria Guebuza urged traditional and religious leaders, as well as ordinary citizens to multiply their efforts to eradicate this evil.



"We are concerned with the rape of minors. They (children) respect us, but we as adults mistreat them instead," exclaimed the First Lady, stressing that" children are the future of our nation and tomorrow's leaders. "



Therefore, Guebuza urged everyone to denounce and combat cases of abuse of children, who deserve to be respected and protected.



"Let's respect our children. Everyone has a role to play in this challenge. Children should not be afraid of adults, and should trust them instead," said the First Lady.



In another development, Maria da Luz Guebuza pointed to the need to protect orphaned children in an environment of solidarity that has always been one of the main features of Mozambican people.



According to Maria Guebuza, the number of orphaned children has been increasing across the country due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, particularly in the province of Manica, which is one of the most affected regions in Mozambique.



For the First Lady, the reduction of HIV/AIDS prevalence could minimize the problem of orphaned children.



"We will work to reduce HIV prevalence. Indeed, it is even possible to reduce or even to stop new infections," she said.



On the occasion, Maria Guebuza urged all HIV positive people to go to the nearest health centre to look for proper medical care.



She also called the local residents to check their status, and start treatment if found to be HIV positive.



Maria Guebuza is on a working visit to Manica started on Friday, to learn on the ground about social activities that are being carried out in the region, and the current living conditions of women and children.

(AIM)

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2712E GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING TO INTRODUCE AGRICULTURE INSURANCE



Maputo, 1 Jul (AIM) - The Mozambican government is considering the possibility of introducing an agricultural insurance policy in the country.



This was the main theme of a seminar organized in Maputo on Friday by the Mozambique Cotton Institute (IAM) with the technical support of the World Bank and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).



The meeting brought together both national and foreign experts, who discussed the best ways to approach and implement this initiative, using cotton as a test crop.



The meeting also harmonized common procedures on agricultural risk management in Mozambique in relation to a number of ongoing initiatives. It also agreed on an action plan and timeline for the implementation of agricultural insurance in Mozambique.



Participants of the meeting also discussed potential benefits, shared experiences on crop insurance and the possibility to include the family sector.



At the international level the participants addressed the issue of weather insurance and discussed prices of cotton, monitoring of policies for food and agriculture in Africa, with Mozambique as a case study.



The legal environment for the development of agricultural insurance in Mozambique was also discussed, along with historical weather data, which is the basis for agricultural risk management.

(AIM)

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