Child protection
For every child and young person, the right to live free of violence, exploitation and abuse
Context
Maldives has made a strong commitment to protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse.
With the enactment of the Child Rights Protection Act and Juvenile Justice Act in 2019, Maldives embedded the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into the law of the land. The country followed up with a national action plan, a vital framework for creating a safer world for children.
These tools provide a solid foundation. But much work is still required to put these laws into action – to strengthen systems to better protect the rights of every child and young person.
Challenges
Around the world, children and young people experience violence, exploitation and abuse. Maldives is no exception.
Though strong laws and action plans are in place, children and young people far too often experience:
- Violence and abuse, including negligence and emotional, physical and sexual abuse
- Conflict with the law,
- Exploited into crimes by adults
- Deprivation of family care and institutionalization
Violence against children usually occurs in the places children should feel the safest – homes, schools and communities. Often harm is perpetrated by the very people they trust the most and rely on for care and protection.
Children in conflict with the law often face multiple deprivations - such as poverty, exploitation and violence. Often the services meant to help them do not address their interconnected needs.
For children and young people exploited into crime, the adult perpetrators are rarely held accountable.
Child protection challenges also extend to children who are not able to live with parents. In these situations, far too often children are put in institutions. Though legislation permits family-based care, there are too few of these options to meet the need.
UNICEF in action
UNICEF Maldives works to address these challenges by engaging with communities, families, government institutions, children and young people.
UNICEF advocates at every level for child rights; engages with government officials to strengthen child protection and justice systems; and initiates pilot programmes aimed at bringing services closer to children.
Advocacy
UNICEF Maldives works with partners and government officials to address the underlying causes of abuse and exploitation – and to bolster prevention and response systems. We promote efforts to maintain the minimum age of criminal responsibility and hold adults accountable for exploiting children into crime.
We continue to advocate to safeguard the Convention on the Rights of the Child, especially in the area of child participation, through engagement with communities and with public and private partners.
Additionally, we advocate for the establishment of family and community-based care and rehabilitation options for vulnerable children.
Systems
UNICEF Maldives connects sectors and systems – including data systems – so that vulnerable children and young people do not fall through the cracks of the services set up to meet their needs.
We also provide technical assistance to help foster a more holistic approach to strengthen the child protection and juvenile justice systems.
Programmes
Our systems and advocacy actions come to life in programmes such as the Rehabilitation and Support Programme.
With this pilot programme, UNICEF Maldives brings together representatives from multiple sectors – education, law enforcement, social services. We connect these specialists with community leaders and families on various platforms to address the specific vulnerabilities of children in conflict with the law. The goal is to establish a model that focuses on creating comprehensive diversion, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for children in conflict with the law – a circle of support that helps vulnerable children and young people thrive.
