The President of Parliament, Esperança Bias, is in favor of increasing the penalties for those who commit violence against women and girls, because the situation is becoming increasingly worrying throughout the country.

Official figures show that from January to September this year, 3,923 cases of physical violence and 1,504 cases of psychological violence against women and girls were recorded.

Bias says that "even if there had only been one case, violence is and will always be intolerable".

Esperança Bias was speaking during the annual forum of the Women's Parliamentary Office 2023, which took place this weekend in Maputo, with the aim of discussing the issue of violence and ways of increasingly involving women in development actions.

However, for legal experts quoted by VOA, the key is to correctly apply the existing legislation on the matter.

One of them, Felismina Muacha, points out that, with regard to early marriages, there is already a Law to Prevent and Combat Premature Unions, which should be properly applied, because it provides for concrete measures against offenders.

For her part, lawyer Ivete Mafundza defended the idea that the issue does not necessarily have to do with the Domestic Violence Law, but believes that it should be improved so that the fight against this phenomenon, which is cultural, can be more effective.