Workplace HIV/AIDS education session for Maldives Ports Limited, 2011

NARRATIVE REPORT This workshop was conducted to assess needs of the Maldivian workplace in regard to HIV/AIDS and convey the societal significance of HIV/AIDS in the workplace as part of the company policy for the benefit of both employers and their employees. Since its inception, in 1988, the Society for Health Education (SHE) continues to explore options and means to enhance the quality of life of Maldivian families. The organization reaffirms its commitment to sustain these initiatives, and to further increasing public awareness on issues that influence family well-being. Effectiveness of health promotion initiatives will be ensured...

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Posted in: Health / HIV

Amnesty declares imprisoned blogger a prisoner of conscience

Amnesty International has declared imprisoned blogger Ismail ‘Khilath’ Rasheed a prisoner of conscience, and called for his “immediate and unconditional” release. The controversial blogger was arrested on December 14 following his participation in a ‘silent protest’ on Human Rights Day, calling for religious tolerance in the Maldives. A group of men attacked the protesters with stones, and Rasheed was taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) with a fractured skull. He was subsequently arrested for questioning over his involvement in the silent gathering, and the Criminal Court granted police a 10 day extension of detention for the...

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Posted in: News,Society

Maldives must “better assist those who live under repressive regimes”: Ambassador to the EU tells ‘Freedom Online’ conference

Maldives Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, Ali Hussain Didi, has attended the Freedom Online Conference at The Hague, Netherlands. Representatives from Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Estonia, Ghana, Indonesia, the Republic of Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, the European Commission, UNDP, NGO’s, cyber activists and internet companies attended the event. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton delivered a keynote speech at the opening session of the conference, hosted by Google and Free Press Unlimited. “This is an urgent task. It is most urgent, of course,...

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Posted in: Politics / Religion,Society

Protesters calling for religious tolerance attacked with stones, threatened with death

Police are investigating a violent attack on a ‘silent protest’ calling for religious tolerance, held at the Artificial Beach to mark Human Rights Day. Witnesses said a group of men threw rocks at the 15-30 demonstrators, calling out threats and vowing to kill them. One witness who took photos of the attacked said he was “threatened with death if these pictures were leaked. He said we should never been seen in the streets or we will be sorry.” Among those injured in the attack was Ismail ‘Khilath’ Rasheed, a controverisal blogger whose website was recently blocked by the Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM) on the order of the Ministry...

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Posted in: News,Society

Maldives among the most corrupt nations

Ali Nafiz | Haveeru Online | Dec 03 The Maldives remained among the most corrupt countries in the world with a 2.5 score in Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), according to the 2011 CPI report published by Transparency International. The country, which received a 143 ranking last year, is ranked 134th alongside Cameroon, Eritrea, Guyana, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan and Sierra Leone. The Maldives' score, however, was a slight improvement to last year's 2.3 on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean). In a statement, Transparency Maldives said the poor performance shows the failure of state bodies in...

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Posted in: News

Religious NGOs to hold “protest to protect Islam” on December 23

By Ahmed Nazeer | December 1st, 2011 | via Minivan News A coalition of religious NGOs have claimed that 100,000 people will join a protest in December “to protect Islam”, and called on “all Maldivians to take part”. Speaking to the press at the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) studio, President of the NGO Coalition Mohamed Didi said that more than 127 local NGOs, music clubs, political parties and Island Councils would take part in the protest on December 23. According to MNBC, Didi said the protest was not a movement against the government but a movement “against all un-Islamic ideas.” Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge...

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Posted in: Politics / Religion

SE Asia should focus on keeping kids HIV-free: WHO

HIV/AIDS is shifting profile from a “life-threatening emergency to a manageable chronic disease,” finds an annual report on the Global Response to HIV/AIDS. The report was released in honor of World Aids Day on December 1, 2011 by World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in collaboration with international partners. The report analyses the health sector’s prevention, treatment and care to those infected in low- and middle- income countries using data through 2010. Among the recommendations for South East Asia was to eliminate childhood infection by...

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Posted in: Health / HIV,Society