Prostitution Prostitution laws in MozambiqueMoçambique
Mozambique's Penal Code, revised by Lei n.º 24/2019 (in force from mid-2020), contains no offence of selling or buying sex between adults. The only adult prostitution offence is lenocínio (art. 214). Professionally or for profit fostering, favouring or facilitating another person's prostitution carries one to two years and a fine. With violence, serious threat, fraud, abuse of authority or dependence, or exploitation of mental incapacity or special vulnerability, the penalty rises to two to eight years. A 2020 amendment (Lei n.º 17/2020) retitled arts. 214–215 as "Lenocínio" and "Lenocínio de menores" and added a trafficking offence (art. 196-A). Publicly displaying sexually explicit material for commerce is a separate minor offence (art. 217(2)).
Legal model
Legal, organisation banned. Selling and buying are legal, but brothels, procuring and organising are criminal offences.
The Penal Code (Lei n.º 24/2019) does not make selling or buying sex an offence. It punishes anyone who "professionally or with intent to profit" fosters, favours or facilitates another person's prostitution (art. 214, now headed "Lenocínio"). This covers brothel-keeping and other organised third-party involvement even without coercion; coercion and abuse aggravate the penalty.[1][2]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Legal | No provision of the Penal Code makes it an offence for an adult to sell sex. The general offence of importuning someone with explicit sexual proposals (art. 204, up to two years) and the public-indecency offence (art. 217) are not specific to sex work.[1] |
| Buying sexual services | Legal | There is no client offence for adults. Paying for sex with a minor is caught by the separate minors' provisions (art. 215 and the sexual-abuse offences).[1] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Running a brothel is a form of professionally or for-profit facilitating another person's prostitution. It falls under lenocínio, punishable by one to two years and a corresponding fine (art. 214(1)).[1][2] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | Fostering, favouring or facilitating another's prostitution professionally or for profit carries one to two years and a fine (art. 214(1)). It carries two to eight years if committed with violence or serious threat, by fraud, by abusing family, tutorial, hierarchical, economic or work dependence, or by exploiting mental incapacity or special vulnerability (art. 214(2)). Trafficking for sexual exploitation carries 16 to 20 years (art. 196-A).[1][2] |
| Advertising sexual services | Restricted Breach: criminal offence | No provision targets advertising sexual services. A third party who places or hosts adverts for profit could be treated as favouring or facilitating prostitution (art. 214). Separately, putting sexually explicit writings or images in public places for commerce, or broadcasting them in public, carries up to six months (art. 217(2)).[1] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
No provision of the Penal Code makes it an offence for an adult to sell sex. The general offence of importuning someone with explicit sexual proposals (art. 204, up to two years) and the public-indecency offence (art. 217) are not specific to sex work.[1]
Confidence: medium. Read from a copy of Boletim da República I Série n.º 248 (24 December 2019) hosted by a law-reform site; the official Imprensa Nacional portal was not used. No 2023–2026 amendment to these articles was found, but municipal by-laws and police practice were not reviewed.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
There is no client offence for adults. Paying for sex with a minor is caught by the separate minors' provisions (art. 215 and the sexual-abuse offences).[1]
Confidence: medium. Read from the 2019 Boletim da República copy.
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Running a brothel is a form of professionally or for-profit facilitating another person's prostitution. It falls under lenocínio, punishable by one to two years and a corresponding fine (art. 214(1)).[1][2]
Art. 214(1), translated: "Whoever, professionally or with intent to profit, fosters, favours or facilitates the exercise of prostitution by another person is punished with imprisonment of 1 to 2 years and a corresponding fine."
Confidence: medium. Translation by the editors. Brothels are not mentioned by name; their inclusion follows from the wording.
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
Fostering, favouring or facilitating another's prostitution professionally or for profit carries one to two years and a fine (art. 214(1)). It carries two to eight years if committed with violence or serious threat, by fraud, by abusing family, tutorial, hierarchical, economic or work dependence, or by exploiting mental incapacity or special vulnerability (art. 214(2)). Trafficking for sexual exploitation carries 16 to 20 years (art. 196-A).[1][2]
Confidence: medium. Lei 17/2020 changed the headings of arts. 214–215 to "Lenocínio" and "Lenocínio de menores"; its gazetted text marks the numbered paragraphs as "[…]", i.e. unchanged.
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
No provision targets advertising sexual services. A third party who places or hosts adverts for profit could be treated as favouring or facilitating prostitution (art. 214). Separately, putting sexually explicit writings or images in public places for commerce, or broadcasting them in public, carries up to six months (art. 217(2)).[1]
Confidence: low. A reading of the statutory text only; no prosecutions of advertisers or websites were found.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Lei n.º 24/2019, de 24 de Dezembro — Lei de Revisão do Código Penal (Boletim da República, I Série, n.º 248) Law No. 24/2019 of 24 December revising the Penal Code art. 204 · arts. 214–217 | Contains the lenocínio offence (art. 214), the minors' offence (art. 215) and public-indecency offences (art. 217); no offence of selling or buying sex.[1] | June 2020 |
| Lei n.º 17/2020, de 23 de Dezembro — altera os artigos 214 e 215 e adita o artigo 196-A do Código Penal (Boletim da República, I Série, n.º 246, 2.º Suplemento) Law No. 17/2020 of 23 December amending the Penal Code arts. 196-A, 214, 215 | Retitles arts. 214–215 as lenocínio offences and adds trafficking in persons (art. 196-A).[2] |
Timeline
Sources
- Lei n.º 24/2019, de 24 de Dezembro — Lei de Revisão do Código Penal (Boletim da República, I Série, n.º 248) (Law No. 24/2019 of 24 December revising the Penal Code (Official Gazette, Series I, No. 248)). Boletim da República (copy hosted by Reformar), 24 December 2019. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Lei n.º 17/2020, de 23 de Dezembro — altera os artigos 214 e 215 e adita o artigo 196-A do Código Penal (Boletim da República, I Série, n.º 246, 2.º Suplemento) (Law No. 17/2020 of 23 December amending arts. 214–215 and adding art. 196-A to the Penal Code). Boletim da República (Gazettes.Africa archive), 23 December 2020. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026