22 cases of child sexual abuse in April

Some 22 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in April, down from 32 cases in March, according to statistics released by the gender ministry on Sunday.

More than half the 206 cases reported during the month involved violence against children, including 37 cases of negligence, 22 cases of emotional abuse, five cases where a child was witness to domestic violence, four cases of bullying and harassment, two cases of physical abuse, and one case of “commercial sexual exploitation.”

Child abuse and sexual abuse remain key problems in the Maldives.

A nine-year-old girl was taken under state care earlier this month after she was sexually abused by her 13-year-old and 16-year-old brothers, local media reported Saturday.

In April, the gender ministry also attended to one case of a parent who refused to vaccinate a child. There were four cases of violation of right to shelter, four cases of refusal of access to education, and one case of denial of birth registration.

Behavioural problems reported during the month included three cases of refusal to attend school, three cases of perpetrators of bullying and harassment, and two cases of running away.

There were four cases of custody or access, three cases of child maintenance and one case of parenting issues.

Four cases of minors in conflict with the law included one case of physical assault or aggresion.

A total of 30 cases involving gender-based violence and domestic violence were also reported in April.

“The most frequently reported cases involve forms of physical abuse, of which 12 cases were reported during this period,” the gender ministry said.

“Other cases reported in this category involve 7 cases of intimidation, 6 cases of sexual abuse, 4 cases of emotional or verbal abuse and 1 case of negligence.”