80-year-old man arrested on charges of sexually abusing eight-year-old girl

An 80-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing an eight-year-old girl. The police said the suspect gave money to the girl and forced himself on the underage victim. The elderly man was taken into custody by the upper north police division around 3:30pm yesterday based on information from a member of the public, the police said. The police did not reveal either the identity of the suspect or the island from which he was arrested. A joint investigation by the police and the gender ministry is underway. Earlier this month, 14 men and one woman were arrested on the island of Fuvahmulah on suspicion of forcing a...

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Posted in: News,Society

Indian arrested on child abuse charges, MP seeks publication of sex offenders registry

An Indian teacher has been arrested on charges of child sexual abuse from the island of Gemanafushi in Gaaf Alif atoll. The 40-year-old expatriate was arrested with a court warrant around 4:20pm yesterday, a police media official said. The suspect is accused of sexually abusing under-aged girls for a long period, the official added. The police declined to reveal further information as the investigation is ongoing, but local media has identified the suspect as an English teacher at the Gemafanushi school. He is accused of repeatedly abusing secondary grade students. Almost one in seven children of secondary school age in the Maldives...

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Senior TVM staff found guilty of sexual harassment, let off with warning

The state broadcasting company, Public Service Media (PSM), has let off a senior technical officer found guilty of sexual harassment with a warning.PSM spokesperson Abdulla Rameez refused to confirm the decision made by an internal committee following an inquiry, saying: “We do not give out information that would harm our staff’s dignity.”But a copy of the committee’s decision obtained by Minivan News states the accused was warned in writing “after considering the seriousness of the case.”The PSM said in a statement yesterday that “a just decision” was made in accordance with the law and that the offender has been punished.According to 2014...

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Amendment proposed to establish Islamic Sharia

Makunudhoo MP Anara Naeem has for a second time proposed an amendment to the Penal Code, to determine that penalties prescribed in the Islamic Sharia must be handed over to those who are convicted of Hudud crimes (Crimes against God).  The amendment which was earlier withdrawn and Anara claimed that the reason for withdrawal is as she was discontent over other amendments proposed to the Penal Code.  The amendment proposed to clause 1205 of the Penal Code states that if a person is convicted of a Hudud crime, the penalty prescribed in Islamic Sharia must be observed.  Hudud crimes in Islamic Sharia include adultery,...

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Posted in: News,Politics / Religion,Society

Manager found guilty of sexual harassment let off with warning

A manager at the state-owned Hulhumalé Development Corporation (HDC) has been found guilty of sexually harassing a female employee, but has been spared with a warning. The HDC’s human resources manager Mirshan Ahmed was accused of sending inappropriate text messages to an employee who had joined the company in March. He had suggested she was hired for her looks and told her he would penalize her when she did not respond to his messages. According to newspaper Haveeru, Mirshan admitted to sending the inappropriate texts at a review committee. The HDC deputy managing director Mohamed Shahid told Minivan News today that Mirshan has...

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Posted in: News

‘Hired for my looks': HDC employee alleges sexual harassment

This article is by Farah Ahmed A former employee at the state-owned Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has said she was subjected to sexual harassment by a senior staff who once allegedly told her she had been hired for her looks. The employee, who had started work at the HDC’s legal department in March, said the company’s human resource manager Mirshan Ahmed had sent her inappropriate text messages and regularly commented on her clothes and her hair. The harassment began the first week she started work. “He once messaged me saying I should thank him for this job. He said he saw my picture on my application form and hired me...

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Posted in: News,Society

Five arrested for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl

Five men have been arrested in southern Addu City on a charge of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl.The police said the five men arrested were aged, 81, 77, 56, 32 and 18 years.Some were family members of the victim.A court has remanded the five for 15 days.A magistrate court in Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Gahdhoo has meanwhile sentenced a 25-year-old man to ten years in jail for sexually abusing another 14-year-old girl in 2010.- See more at: http://minivannews.com/news-in-brief/five-arrested-for-sexually-abusing-a-14-year-old-girl-99006#sthash.ivuvcEkT.d...

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Detention extended for two homosexual men

The detention has been extended for two men homosexual men who were caught committing carnal acts in the shrubbery of Hulhumale’. A police media official said that the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court extended their detention by 10 days. The suspects arrested in relation to the case are two Maldivian men aged 21 and 23. They were arrested at around 20:45 on Saturday near the pump station in the east of Hulhumale’ while involved in carnal acts. via C...

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Two men arrested for engaging in homosexual relations

Two Maldivian men were arrested from Hulhumalé for allegedly engaging in homosexual relations. According to CNM, police arrested the pair around 8:45pm near the Hulhumalé pump station. The suspects were aged 21 and 23. Sodomy is a criminal offence in the Maldives. - See more at: http://minivannews.com/news-in-brief/two-men-arrested-for-engaging-in-homosexual-relations-98636#sthash.uEYOgTv6.dp...

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IS implements death penalty on Maldivian citizen

Islamic State (IS) group has implemented the death penalty on a Maldivian citizen who was working with the terrorist group. Reports say the death penalty was implemented after an IS “Court” gave the death penalty. However, it is unclear as to why the death penalty was issued.  In addition to the Maldivian citizen, two more foreigners who joined IS in Iraq and Syria were killed off after the court sentenced them to death. The death penalty was implemented on all three of them in April and they were killed by pushing off a building. The Maldivian, who faced the death penalty, reportedly joined IS group in late 2014. He reportedly...

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Posted in: Politics / Religion

Parliament accepts amendment to implement Hadd

Parliament has accepted an amendment to the Penal Code, to determine that penalties prescribed in the Islamic Sharia must be handed over to those who are convicted of Hudud crimes (Crimes against God).  The amendment proposed by Makunudhoo MP Anara Naeem was accepted with 44 votes in favor while there were no votes against the bill. The amendment proposed to clause 1205 of the Penal Code states that if a person is convicted of a Hudud crime, the penalty prescribed in Islamic Sharia must be observed.  Hudud crimes in Islamic Sharia include adultery, fornication, homosexuality, apostasy, robbery and theft amongst others.  In...

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Posted in: News,Politics / Religion

Adhaalath condemns Maldives abstention on UN gay vote

The religious conservative Adhaalath Party has condemned the government for abstaining from a United Nations vote on a resolution against providing gay marital benefits to all UN employees. The secretary general of the Adhaalath Party, which condemns homosexuality, told Vnews the abstention indicated that the Maldives did not oppose providing the marital benefits for gay couples. In a tweet yesterday, Adhaalath said that it was “shameful” that the Maldives abstained from voting on the resolution, which was voted down last week. Secretary general Iaadh Hameed added that the government’s foreign policy should be built upon Islamic principles and values, and that those policies should not encourage irreligious acts. The vote on the resolution was held on March 24, after Russia challenged...

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Posted in: Politics / Religion

Not opposing pro-homosexuality regulation is an embarrassment: Adhaalath Party

Adhaalath Party has said that it is a embarrassment for the Maldivian people that their representative at the UN did not participate in a vote for a resolution Russia proposed in which they opposed a pro-homosexuality regulation made by the UN Secretary General. In answer to a question put forward by CNM, Adhaalath Party Iyaad Hameed said that by not participating in the vote, the government was telling the international world that they did not oppose homosexuality and because of that stand by the government the Maldivian people are suffering a great embarrassment. He said that the Maldivian foreign policy should depend on our religion,...

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Posted in: Politics / Religion

Amendment proposed to Penal Code seeks to implement Hadd

Makunudhoo MP Anara Naeem has proposed an amendment to the Penal Code, to determine that penalties prescribed in the Islamic Sharia must be handed over to those who are convicted of Hudud crimes (Crimes against God). The amendment proposed to clause 1205 of the Penal Code states that if a person is convicted of a Hudud crime, the penalty prescribed in Islamic Sharia must be observed. Hudud crimes in Islamic Sharia include adultery, fornication, homosexuality, apostasy, robbery and theft amongst others. In Islamic law, Hudud crimes trigger a class of punishments that are fixed by God which ranges from public lashing, publicly stoning...

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Posted in: News,Politics / Religion,Society

12 students reportedly molested in Guraidhoo Island

Authorities have begun investigating a case where 12 minors were molested in Guraidhoo Island of Kaafu atoll. Haveeru has received information claiming that a number of adults had molested students of both genders. The source further added that there were reports of homosexual encounters within the student body.  The Guraidhoo School had reported the case to the Gender Ministry. A team from the Ministry is scheduled to leave for the island on Monday.  According to the school’s senior staff, the repeated offences were brought to light by a parent. Upon probing it further, they discovered that it was widespread within the...

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New HIV prevention strategy to target injecting drug users, gay men, sex workers

The Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) new national strategy on HIV prevention will scale up prevention programmes in key affected populations of injecting drug users, sex workers, men who have sex with men. By 2016, the HPA aims to reach at least 60 percent of injecting drug users to promote the safe use of injecting equipment and consistent condom use with sexual partners. The HPA aims to reach 80 percent of sex workers and men who are having sex with men to promote the consistent use of condoms. The health ministry has previously said the Maldives was sitting on an HIV “time bomb” due to the lack of prevention programmes and specialised...

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Posted in: Health / HIV