Fact Sheet: Young People and HIV/AIDS

Young People at the Centre of HIV/AIDS Epidemic  The island nation of Maldives has 34% of its total population of 328 000 in the age group of 10-24 years1. At the end of 2003, the estimated number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS was less than 200. All the 142 reported cases from 1991 to 2004 were in the age group of 20-45 years. The estimated HIV prevalence among the 15-49 year age group was 0.1% in 20012 (Table 1).     Young People Are Vulnerable to HIV & STIs  The major route for HIV transmission in Maldives is heterosexual. Though the presence of HIV/AIDS is scant in Maldives, increasing numbers...

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Posted in: Health / HIV

‘Kaanal’ Nasheed denies molestation charges

Special Majlis Male member, ‘Colonel’ Mohamed Nasheed, H. Fodhooge, denies the sexual misconduct charges placed on him by the state. Nasheed was accused of sexually molesting a young schoolboy. Nasheed was taken to the Criminal Court on Thursday, where the first hearing for his case was held. During the hearing, Nasheed denied the charges placed against him and claims that the accusations have political motives behind them. Nasheed also told the court that he would be represented by Husnu Suoodh during his trial and that he would need time to present his case. Nasheed was alleged to have brought one of his students at Dharmavantha School to the staff room after class hours, under the pretext of making illustrations for a book on AIDS in 2004. Nasheed was alleged to have shown the...

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'Colonel' denies molestation charges

Special Majlis Male member, Colonel Mohamed Nasheed, H. Fodhooge, denies the sexual misconduct charges placed on him by the state. Nasheed was accused of sexually molesting a young schoolboy.  Nasheed was taken to the Criminal Court on Thursday, where the first hearing for his case was held. During the hearing, Nasheed denied the charges placed against him and claims that the accusations have political motives behind them.  Nasheed also told the court that he would be represented by Husnu Suoodh during his trial and that he would need time to present his case.  Nasheed was alleged to have brought one of his students...

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Man who was stripped and forced to walk on road now under Police custody

A man who was stripped and paraded through Majeedhee Magu on Saturday has now been brought under Police custody.  A Maldives Police Service official said that they did not know the reason why the man was stripped and being paraded but that they were currently investigating the matter. Traffic police officers saw him being paraded naked through the street and brought him under our custody, said the official.  Eyewitnesses said that the man was handed over to the Police near the ATM machine by the Thalassaemia Centre. The witness said that the man had been wearing a board which proclaimed he was homosexual when he was turned over to the Police. The eyewitness also said that the man's hair had been cut off from the right side of his head. The men who were marching the...

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Special Majlis member accused of child abuse

Special Majlis Male member, Mohamed "Kaanal" Nasheed, H. Fodhooge, has been brought to court on charges of child abuse on Wednesday.  The state is charging Nasheed for forcibly making sexual advances on a minor boy, said the Attorney Generals Office.  In 2004, Nasheed was alleged to have brought one of his students at Dharmavantha School to the staff room after class hours, under the pretext of making illustrations for a book on AIDS. Nasheed was alleged to have shown the grade 10 student pictures of homosexual, pornographic nature on the internet.  Nasheed was then said to have proceeded to show the student more websites of this nature, while implying that he had always wanted to touch the student. He is alleged to have physically made his intentions clear by touching...

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