OneInSevenChildrenofSecondarySchoolAgeInTheMaldives,SexuallyAbused

ByHawwaLubna|June14th,2012

AlmostoneinsevenchildrenofsecondaryschoolageintheMaldiveshasbeensexuallyabusedatsometimeintheirlives,accordingtoanunpublished2009studyonviolenceagainstchildren.

Gut-wrenchingdetailsofheinouschildsexualabusecasesgrabbingheadlinesinthepastfewyearseventuallygatheredenoughpublicpressureintheMaldivefortheauthoritiestopassalawstipulatingstringentpunishmentsforsexualpredators.

Sincethepassageof“StringentPunishmentsforPerpetratorsofSexualViolenceAgainstChildrenAct’in2009,severalpaedophileshavebeenincarceratedfor10to20yearsoflife.

AccordingtoProsecutorGeneralOffice(PGO),46casesofsexuallyabusingaminorweresubmittedtothecourtsin2011.In2010,35casesweresubmitted.Theyearbefore,41cases.

Somehighprofilecasesmakeheadlinesbutoftencasesgounder-reported.Withnopublicstatisticsonthenumberofincarcerations,thetotalfiguresonhowmanycasesaresuccessfullyprosecutedandwhohasbeenputbehindbarsareunknown.

Yet,morecasesarebeingreportedandinvestigated.

In2010,themagistratecourtonUngoofaaruislandaloneconvictedeightpeopleinrelationto10differentchildabusecasesfromRaaAtoll.Amongthemwerefatherswhorapedtheirdaughters,amotherwhohidherhusband’ssexuallydeviantcrimes,andmenwhoabusedlittleboysnoolderthan10.

Doyouknowwhotheyare?No–butitisdefinitelyyourlegalrighttoknow.

Article77oftheaforementionedlegislationnotonlyobligatestheauthoritiestopublicisetheidentityoftheoffendersconvictedunderthelaw,butalsotellstheauthoritiestocreateawebsitethroughwhichthecanpublicknowwhothesexualoffendersare.

Werethesystemstatedinlawtobeestablished,peoplecanevenretrieveinformationonsexoffendersbysendingatext.Almostfouryearafterthelawhasbeenpassed,theGenderDepartmentsaysthesystem“isstillundermaintenance.”

AccordingtoPoliceSergeantAbdulJaleelfromtthepoliceFamilyandChildrenProtectionDepartment(FCPD),discussionsareunderwaybetweentheauthoritiestocreatethedatabaseofoffenders.Headmitted,“thedelaysareunfortunateandweneedtomakeitapriorityissue.”

Stressingontheimportanceofsuchadatabase,JaleedrecalledanincidentinMeemuAtollwhereamanwhohadarecordofchildabusewasfoundtohavecommittedthesamecrimeagainstanotherchild.

“ThismanwasbanishedtoanislandontoanislandinMeemuAtoll.Whenwewereinvestigatingachildabusecasein2009,wefoundthatthismanwasresponsibleandheevenhadapreviousrecordofabusingchildren.”Jaleelnoted.“Buttheislandersdidnotknowthat.”

Henotedthatthedispersionofthe300,000-strongpopulationover190islandsmadeiteasierforperpetratorstoswitchislands,andblendinamongpeopleunaw

 

areoftheircrimes.

“Therefore,acentralwebsitewheresexoffenderscanbetracked,monitoredandpubliccanfindabouttheconvictedoffendersiscrucialtosafeguardchildrenandadultsfromsuchperpetrators.”SergeantJaleelobserved.

“Itwouldalsodefinitelyexpediteourinvestigationswithbettercoordinationbetweenauthoritiesondifferentislands.”

Severalcountriesworldwidehaveadoptedsuchmeasures.

Forexample,theNationalSexOffenderPublicWebsite(NSOPW)intheUS,providesnotonlyanopportunityforseveralstatestoparticipateinanunprecedentedpublicsafetyresourcebysharingpublicsexoffenderdatanationwide,butprovidesaplatformforparentsandauthoritiestocollaborateforthesafetyofbothadultsandchildren.

However,oftenargumentsaretakenagainstsuchpublicregistriesasitmaybedefamatoryandmakeslifedifficultforapersonidentifiedasa“sexualpredator”.

JaleelagreedthattheideaofapublicsexoffendersregistryisnewtotheMaldivesandmayfacesimilarchallenges.

However,hearguedthatlegislationcanbemadeclarifyingwhocanbeincludedornotdependingonthemagnitudeofthecrime.“Ifwelookatdomesticviolencecases,theperpetrator’snamecanbeavoideddependingonwhetheritwasfirstoffenceorthematterissolvedifitsbetweenacouple.”

“Butinheinouscrimessuchassexuallyabusingachild,thereshouldbenoexcuses,”hecontended.“Andrepeatoffendersmustbemadepublictoo.”

Healsosaidprovisionscanbemadewherebypoliceorauthoritiescandecidetoreleaseanameofapersonnotconvictedforthesexualoffence,shouldtheyhavereasonandsubstantialevidencetobelievethepersonisathreattosociety.

AishathIbrahim,themotherofafiveyearoldworkingasateacherinMale’says,“Itwillbeveryeasyforparentstoidentifypotentialthreatsandprotectourchildrenifwecanknowwhotheoffendersare.”

“Todaywedon’tevenknowwhoisourneighbor,”sheadded.

InthecrowdedcapitalMale’,peoplelivecloselytogetherinrentedhousingorsharedapartmentswithinlargefamilyunits,afactorthathasbeenidentifiedascontributingtoinstancesofchildsexualabuse.

http://minivannews.com/politics/one-in-seven-children-of-secondary-school-age-suffered-sexual-abuse-in-the-maldives-39063

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