Luanda - The Angolan government is preparing a proposal to amend the law on crimes against minors, with the aim of tightening up the penal framework, the Minister of State and Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida, announced Thursday in Luanda.

According to the minister, the amendment essentially aims to penalize “without contemplation” those who engage in sexual violation, trafficking in children or their organs, child prostitution, among other crimes that threaten the integrity of minors.

Speaking at the opening of the Technical-Scientific Days of the Court of Auditors, Adão de Almeida stressed that crimes against children jeopardize the future of this group of people, and therefore deserve the firmest and most exemplary repulsion from the state and families.

The minister recalled that the Constitution of the Republic of Angola enshrines the right of the child to special attention from the family, society and the state, as well as guiding the adoption of public policies aimed at safeguarding the principle of the best interests of the little ones and defining as a crucial task for the state strategic investments for the integral development of children and young people.

For the Minister of State, the implementation of constitutional principles requires the adoption of public policies to protect children, particularly in early childhood, from a transversal perspective.

Adão de Almeida said the government approved the National Policy for Early Childhood in 2024, an instrument that aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality by increasing the supply of quality health services, improving sanitation and health conditions in the environment and raising awareness of the need for communities to adopt a preventive stance.

Participants in the Court of Auditors' two-day technical and scientific conference are debating the topics “The Challenges of External Control in Contemporary Times and Early Childhood”, “The Pedagogical Character of External Control of Public Policies for Early Childhood” and “Early Childhood, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Constitutional Role of the Courts of Auditors”.

Also included in the debates are topics such as “Operational Auditing in Public Policies for Early Childhood”, “Early Childhood - Possible Approaches to Supervision within the Courts of Auditors”, “Women's Leadership and Equity - Perspectives for Strengthening Institutions”, among others.

The event is being attended by the presiding judges of the courts of audit of the Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) and the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions , as well as judges of Angola's higher courts, members of the Angolan Executive and national and international academics. ACC/QCB/AMP