Impact story: Mozambique
Creating informed dialogue on human rights data in Mozambique
Everyone in Mozambique has the right to live in freedom and equality. Policymakers depend on data to address human rights issues and implement meaningful reforms, but these data are not always available. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) works to fill this gap. In 2025, our latest human rights scores for Mozambique sparked a national conversation. The media picked up HRMI’s scores, which show the government’s lack of respect for its people’s rights, and drew politicians into responding to the low scores.
Read on for more.
The data
HRMI’s latest data show that Mozambique is falling short across almost all human rights indicators.
When it comes to civil and political rights, Mozambique’s Safety from the State scores paint an especially worrying picture. With a score of 2.1 out of 10 the data suggest that many people are not safe from arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution, and/or extrajudicial killing.
The Mozambican government performs similarly badly when it comes to respecting Empowerment rights. With an overall score of 3.4 out of 10, its scores on the right to assembly and association, opinion and expression, and participation in government all also fall within HRMI’s ‘very bad’ range.
Furthermore, not only do all of Mozambique’s Safety from the State scores fall within HRMI’s ‘very bad’ range, but it is ranked the lowest globally out of all countries sampled, tying at the bottom with Kenya, China, and Bangladesh.
Mozambique’s lowest civil and political rights score was for the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest, with human rights experts on the ground identifying human rights advocates, people who protest, people with particular political affiliations and beliefs, and people suspected of political violence as particularly at risk.
The coverage
In early July the media in Mozambique picked up on HRMI’s latest data. Articles on Mozambique’s scores were posted across several news portals such as:
The media heavily focused on the fact that Mozambique’s scores were among the lowest globally for human rights performance.
The response
Following the widespread coverage, EcoTV Mozambique interviewed lawyer and activist Quitéria Guirengane on HRMI’s latest data and the lack of protection of human rights for Mozambicans. She stressed that the government has seriously failed in providing human rights protections for its people. Watch the interview here:
TV Sucessomoz then interviewed Mozambique’s Minister of Justice and asked him to provide a response to Mozambique’s low ranking. He responded that the decline in human rights in the country is the result of the effects of the demonstrations that have been going on in the country since the end of 2024. Watch the whole interview below:
A third strand of the conversation appeared in Moz24H, where it was reported that our data were instrumental in introducing and framing a concise presentation on systemic human rights issues in Mozambique.
HRMI is proud to produce data that changemakers and leaders can rely on to press for change in their countries. We look forward to seeing more public conversations that will help build a movement to make sure all Mozambicans can live free and full lives.
If you’re passionate about making a difference in your country, we’d love to hear from you. Connect us with your Human Rights Institute or Commission, prominent journalists, and local human rights advocates. Together, we can shine a spotlight on the issues that matter and help ensure leaders around the world are held accountable.