New legislation is a major achievement for Women's Coalition.

Oxfam partners in Mozambique are celebrating the initial approval of a domestic violence bill by the country's parliament, an important milestone in the protection of women's rights in the country.

The domestic violence bill, championed by a coalition of women's organizations, seeks to make domestic violence a crime, calls for increased penalties for offenders, and places an obligation on the state to assist victims.

"This is a very important step to protect women from violence and ensure that this is seen as a public crime and not just a private affair," said Professor Isabel Casimiro, president of the board of the Women's Forum and a member of the commission that drafted the bill. "Hospitals, courts, and the police will also have a duty to act and help victims of domestic violence," she said.

"Our research shows that many cases of domestic violence are not reported and there is often no action when they are reported. As a result, women have no protection or support at present. An important aspect of the proposed law is that anyone, not only the victim, can report a case of domestic violence," said Casimiro.

At present there is no law that specifically covers domestic violence in Mozambique and it is currently dealt with as assault under the 19th century penal code inherited from when Mozambique was a Portuguese colony.

Since 2001, Oxfam has supported the Women's Coalition that has pushed for legal reform to advance the rights of women in Mozambique. The coalition played a key role in lobbying for the 2004 Family Law which provides for a wide range of women's rights. The six organizations that make up the coalition continue to support the implementation of the new laws and bring awareness of the legal rights they provide to women and girls throughout the country.

"This is a great achievement for the women of Mozambique," said Michael Chimedza, Oxfam America's program officer in Mozambique. "It shows that our partners have become strong actors in pushing legal reform that promotes the rights of women, as this process took them a shorter time than the Family Law."

The bill was passed unanimously and will now be considered by a committee before a final vote in parliament in mid-July.

Jul 02, 2009 | Charles Scott

Original Article link : http://www.oxfamamerica.org/articles/domestic-violence-bill-set-to-protect-women-in-mozambique

Mozambique: Climate Change Adaptation Can't Wait
28 May 2009

Johannesburg — A detailed study of the effects of climate change on Mozambique has confirmed what many experts feared: unless immediate action is taken, the country will be overwhelmed by the impacts of cyclones, floods, droughts and disease outbreaks.

"I am alarmed by many of the findings presented in this study," said Ndolam Ngokwe, the UN resident coordinator in Mozambique, at the launch of the INGC Climate Change Report by Mozambique's National Disaster Management Institute (INGC) in the capital, Maputo, on 25 June.

"Climate Change is a massive threat to human development and in some places it is already undermining the international community's efforts to reduce extreme poverty," he said.

Mozambique, already more frequently and severely affected by natural disasters than virtually any other country in Africa, would have to adapt to a changing reality, Ngokwe warned.

Zooming in for a better picture

The study combined historical climate data from various Mozambican weather stations with global climate projections, and together with anticipated socio-economic developments, developed scenarios and identified adaptation measures for reducing vulnerability.

Michel Matera, the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Programme Manager and head of the Environment Unit at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Mozambique, said this was the first time global climate-change models had been downscaled to country level in this way. "What you see immediately is that the impact is not homogeneous - it's different throughout the country. You get a better [picture]," he told IRIN.

The overwhelming changes to come

"The exposure to natural disaster risk in Mozambique will increase significantly over the coming 20 years and beyond," the report noted. In the event of poor global mitigation results - the "too little, too late" scenario - temperatures in Mozambique could rise by as much as two degrees Celsius to 2.5 degrees Celsius by 2050, and by 5 degrees Celsius to 6 degrees Celsius by 2090.

Rainfall variability would increase, the start of the rainy season would likely shift, flood risk would be higher, and the centre of the country would suffer more intense cyclones and droughts.

"Up to approximately 2030, more severe cyclones will pose the biggest threat to the coast; beyond 2030, the accelerating sea level rise will present the greatest danger," the report said.

There was not much data available on sea level rise along the Mozambican coast, but the available evidence suggested global trends could be applied, leading to a 10cm to 20cm rise by 2060, mainly as a result of the sea water expanding as it became warmer.

Erosion could push the 2,700km coastline inland by around 500m; with around 12 million people - 60 percent of the population - living in coastal areas, this was "a scenario likely to be catastrophic for Mozambique."

A lack of long-term data sets made it difficult to apply models to quantify the potential impact of climate change on disease risk, but "warmer temperatures may extend the range and prolong the seasonality of transmission of vector-borne diseases, especially malaria," the report noted. Mozambique is among the top ten nations affected by malaria, causing between 44,000 to 67,000 deaths annually.

Less rainfall upstream in Zimbabwe and Zambia could translate into significantly decreased river flows in Mozambique, while lower rainfall in the Zambezi River Basin could severely reduce energy output from the Cahora Bassa dam, a crucial power source for the country and the region.

Sink or swim

"Projections are that Mozambique won't be able to face the threat posed by climate change if nothing changes. A better understanding is needed to inform future planning," Matera warned.

The report was an essential first step towards a broader vision and a strategy for the national response to climate change. "Adapting to climate change is not only the business of the ministry of environment or the INGC," Matera said. The whole government and development partners would have to be involved, and responsibilities should be clearly defined.

"It is vital that the government is made aware of this and acts now to incorporate climate change risks in its infrastructural planning and investments, and establishes a national response plan to climate change," the report said.

"The extent to which the vulnerability of Mozambique will increase with increased exposure [to climate change] depends on its adaptive capacity. This in turn depends in large part on the socio-economic and technological development trajectory Mozambique will take, and on the adaption measures, i.e. protection and planning it will put in place in the coming five to 10 years."

The report suggested that INGC upgrade its emergency response planning "well beyond current preparedness levels" to deal with climate change risks.

Other recommendations included setting up a system to integrate information on the anticipated climate hazards, and the related physical and social vulnerabilities.

Adaptive capacity might improve by mid-century to the extent that vulnerability decreased to below current risk levels - excluding the extreme scenario of polar ice melts, of which the timing and impact were unknown - the report suggested optimistically. "The key issue is one of timing: Mozambique cannot wait."

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]

Copyright © 2009 UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

Mozambique Needs $70 Million for Climate Change, Noticias Says
By Fred Katerere
June 17 (Bloomberg)

Mozambique will need at least $70 million dollars to fight the effects of
climate change, Noticias reported, citing Environment Minister Alcinda Abreu.
She said her ministry is working on a project which involves 29 international partners led by the
World Bank, the Maputo-based daily newspaper said.
Mozambique is one of the four African countries which are most vulnerable to climatic-change effects
such as annual floods and coastal erosion, said Noticias.
A report released by the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC) said the number of
cyclones, floods and droughts in Mozambique has increased in the past decade and the southern
African country’s 2,000 kilometer (1,243-mile) coastline may recede by about 500 meters because
of erosion.
To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Katerere via the Johannesburg bureau on
amonteiro4@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: June 17, 2009 02:46 EDT

Mozambique: 'Climate change already here and getting worse'
Date:26 May 2009
Source(s):Malaysian National News Agency/ Bernama
Language:English

Malaysia- The Mozambican climate has been changing for the past 45 years, according to the first detailed study on the matter, unveiled here on Monday, by the country's relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC).

The study on "Adaptation to Climate Change in Mozambique" shows that, between 1960 and 2005, temperatures rose by an average of between 1.1 and 1.6 degrees centigrade, Mozambique's news agency (AIM) reported.

"The number of cold night and cold days has fallen, and the number of warm nights and warm days has increased, with the greatest changes occurring in the north of the country", says the study.

A further conclusion is that the rainy season is starting later than it used to. In some parts of northern Mozambique the rains begin 45 days later than was the case half a century ago.

Annual rainfall in southern Mozambique has been increasing - but this is more than cancelled out by increased consumption of water, notably for agriculture. The study warns that, even with an increased average flow of 15 per cent in the southern rivers, at the current population growth rate there will be a 64 per cent decrease in the availability of water per capita by 2050. With a larger population, consuming water at current rates, the Limpopo River, for instance, will be dry for most of the year.

In central Mozambique, the flow of the Zambezi River is predicted to decline, because of an expected reduction in rainfall in Zimbabwe and Zambia. The study notes that additional research is needed to assess the implications for the generation of electricity at the Cahora Bassa dam.

Cyclones are becoming more frequent and more intense. Between 1980 and 1993, Mozambique was hit by four cyclones, only one of which had wind speeds in excess of 100 kilometres an hour. But between 1994 and 2007, there were 11 cyclones, six of which were more devastating than any in the preceding period.

The worst was cyclone Eline in 2000, which reached wind speeds of over 180 kilometres an hour, and played a major role in the catastrophic flooding in southern Mozambique that year.

The data on sea level rise along the Mozambican coast is of poor quality, but consistent with global trends. A continuation of the current trends, the study suggests, will lead to a rise in sea level of between 10 and 20 centimetres by 2060, due largely to water expanding as it becomes warmer.

But current trends may not continue. If, as many scientists fear, there is massive melting of the polar ice caps, that could lead to catastrophic sea level rises. The study posits a scenario of "extreme increase" in which the sea level off the Mozambican coast rises by five metres by 2100. But the study's authors admit that this is largely guesswork: on the most alarming of all scenarios, the melting of the East Antarctic ice sheet, the sea level rise would be 55 metres.

The central city of Beira, large parts of which are already below sea level, is at serious risk. Currently Beira's sea defences will cope with a tidal surge of 3.4 metres. But a weather event where the water rises by 3.8 metres would overwhelm the defences. Such extreme events are expected once every five years now - and once every three years by 2030.

If the "extreme sea level increase" scenario occurs, Beira is doomed. By 2050, the higher parts of Beira will be an island, cut off from the rest of the country. That implies moving Beira port, and its connecting railways to somewhere safer.

The people too will have to move. "A strategy for organised evacuation must be drawn up", warned university researcher Rui Brito, who presented the study.

Other coastal cities do not face quite such a dramatic future. But Maputo port, and the city's coastal area are at risk, and much of the northern city of Pemba could disappear under the waves, if there is significant melting of the polar ice caps.

The researchers warn that, even today, Mozambique cannot cope with a major cyclone. Major investments in coastal protection are needed immediately. The longer the delay, the more expensive remedial action will become.

Speaking at the launch of the study, the Resident Representative of the United Nations System, Ndolamb Ngokwey, stressed the need to act speedily, and for all bodies involved to coordinate their efforts.

"Climate change will exacerbate the existing political and humanitarian problems, and will reduce access to water, with a direct impact on agriculture", he warned.

INGC General Director Joao Ribeiro told reporters that there will now be a second study to draw up specific action to be undertaken by each sector of the Mozambican state.

Additional information
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=413673