Dunya: State must punish those who rape, abuse children and ensure protection of children

Former Foreign Minister and women’s rights advocate Dunya Maumoon says that people who rape and abuse children must receive their just punishment. She called on the Government to ensure better protection of children.

Dunya’s comment follows mounting public outrage over the case of a 13-year-old girl who is alleged to have been subjected to three illegal marriages and had given birth to a child conceived in her last ‘marriage’ this November.

Dunya said that child marriages was not common in the Maldives unlike in the Indian sub-continent. She noted also that when she first started advocating for women’s rights at the United Nations in the early 2000s, society was not ready to accept of openly discuss issues such as gender-based violence and child abuse. However, since then Maldivian society had undergone a major shift in its perception, leading to a rise in the number of advocacy movements and legislations in response to such crimes. She said she was pleased to see more victims seeking support. 

Dunya said that she is shocked to hear of this particular case and rape and abuse the this girl had been subjected to, despite the existence of laws enacted to prevent such abuse, as well as the institutions and entities responsible for preventing and stopping such abuse.

“We have failed as a society!  I, as a the mother of a teenage daughter myself, do not believe such a young child has the capacity to bear the huge responsibility of raising a child, let alone being in a marital relationship.  Our laws do not allow this and it is hence a crime. I fail to understand how such a matter was not stopped by Gender Ministry and other authorities,” said Dunya.

She said that the case proved the probability of other similar cases.

She believes people responsible for such crimes against children must receive their just punishment. Dunya welcome the fact that the Parliament’s Human Rights and Gender Committee, which conducted a review of the case, has recommended conducting a nation-wide assessment to identify whether any more underage girls had been exploited in illegal marriages.

The plight of the 13-year-old girl gained public attention after a man was stabbed and thrown overboard a sea cucumber fishing boat on Friday, November 22. It was later discovered that the man, Hammad, 26, from R. Maduvvari was involved in an illegal marriage with the girl. She entered her third ‘marriage’ at the age of 12 years. The first one had taken place when she was just nine years of age.

Following mounting public pressure over the issue, Maldives Police Service and Gender Ministry issued a joint-statement on Sunday, November 24. It said the investigation hadn’t uncovered any evidence the girl had been subjected to an illegal marriage, but uncovered evidence the girl belonged to a family which held extreme views on religion and had been denied basic educational and healthcare rights.

It also said the case came to attention of authorities on June 6, 2018, and that the authorities had been keeping a 'close watch' on the case for over the year which has passed since. While the authorities had been keeping a 'close watch' on the girl, she was subjected to another illegal marriage and became pregnant. She gave birth this November.

The Gender Ministry has been hit with heavy criticism over its failure to take necessary action to protect the girl. Dunya noted that if the case was ‘under close watch’ why was the perpetrator of the crime not brought to justice immediately and swiftly.  The state has failed in upholding our laws as well as international conventions such as CRC and CEDAW which we are party to.