Romantic relationship in Mozambique

Namoro is the common local term for dating or an informal romantic relationship. It has no single national registration system. The 2022–23 Demographic and Health Survey distinguishes a casual namorado relationship without physical or emotional intimacy or an expectation of lasting longer from an intimate-partner relationship. Courtship remains mainly informal, and family or community expectations can influence how partners live together. Lobolo can be a family or community practice and has been documented as a material incentive in some early unions, but it is not a legal prerequisite for marriage. Mozambique recognizes formal marriage through civil, religious or traditional modalities. The Family Law describes marriage as a voluntary, singular union between a man and a woman for shared life and family purposes. A religious or traditional marriage can have civil effect when the civil requirements are met and the marriage is transcribed in the civil registry. Registration is required for the marriage to be formally recognized in ordinary dealings. A second marriage and an officially attested união de facto are prohibited while the earlier status continues. The reviewed legal material does not identify a formal same-sex marriage pathway. A união de facto is a stable and lasting exclusive relationship between people eligible to marry who have lived together continuously for more than three years. Partners can seek administrative recognition through a joint declaration to the local administrative authority, identity documents, birth certificates and residence attestations. The authority sends the certificate to the Conservatória do Registo Civil, where the registration certificate provides full proof in and out of court. The existence or end of the union can also be established judicially. One partner can declare the end of the union to the local authority, after which the information is sent to the civil registry. The statutory property regime is communhão de adquiridos, with further effects for succession and other matters. A union involving someone under 18 is a união prematura. Lei 19/2019 prohibits it, and an adult who enters such a union with a child can face 8 to 12 years of imprisonment. Assistance, authorization or coercion can also be sanctioned. The risk is higher in rural areas and in central and northern regions. Among women aged 20 to 24, 48.4% had first married or entered a union before 18 and 12.9% before 15; the corresponding under-18 figure was 59% in rural areas and 30% in urban areas. The median age at first union was 18.4 years for women aged 20 to 49 and 22.3 years for men aged 25 to 54. These are population patterns, not a presumption about an individual relationship. Marriage creates duties of respect, trust, solidarity, assistance, cohabitation and fidelity. Spouses share food and household support, contribute to household costs and manage family life together. Each spouse has equal freedom to work, and either spouse can represent the family. Equal property administration applies within the marriage, while a violation of marital duties can lead to civil damages. These legal duties do not automatically apply to every namoro relationship. Sexual and reproductive health support includes contraception, family planning, HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and counselling. Knowledge of at least one modern contraceptive method is widespread among married or partnered women and men, at 95.9% and 98.2%, but current use among women in union was 25.4% nationally, compared with 40.1% in urban areas and 18.4% in rural areas. Distance, limited access, partner rejection, cost and inconvenience can prevent use. SAAJ, meaning Serviços Amigos dos Adolescentes e Jovens, provides free confidential counselling and health services for people aged 11 to 24, including contraception, testing and sexual-violence support. SMS BIZ offers free anonymous advice to people aged 10 to 24 through mobile services in several local languages. Availability depends on locality and mobile coverage. A romantic relationship can also involve control or violence. In the reviewed survey, 26% of women and 21% of men aged 15 to 49 who had ever married or had an intimate partner reported physical, sexual or emotional intimate-partner violence in the previous 12 months. Among women who had ever had a partner, 50% reported controlling behaviour during their lifetime and 45% during the previous 12 months. Jealousy or anger when a woman speaks with other men was reported by 42% of women over their lifetime. These findings do not treat ordinary namoro as violence; threats, coercion, control or harm require protection and support. For a child or young person, Linha Fala Criança at 116 is a free helpline for reports and referrals involving premature unions, sexual violence and gender-based violence. Linha Verde at 1458 provides free information, assistance and referrals. Police family and minor-victim services, health units and CAI services, district social services, community protection committees and mobile courts can also form part of a response. A dedicated nationwide adult relationship-counselling institution was not identified in the reviewed material. A formal marriage ends through death or divorce. A non-litigious divorce can be requested jointly at a Conservatória do Registo Civil when the marriage has lasted more than three years and the spouses have been factually separated for more than one consecutive year, with agreement on parental power, spousal support, the family home and property. A disputed divorce proceeds through a tribunal and includes a reconciliation conference. No nationwide fee schedule or standard processing time was identified for registration, recognition or divorce, so the responsible local office or court should confirm current requirements and costs.