Abused disabled woman taken under state care

A disabled woman from Feydhoo island in Shaviyani atoll has been taken under state care after photos emerged of her tied to a lamppost with a sack on her head.

The state has provided her with protection after the abuse was reported, Gender Minister Shidhatha Shareef tweeted Wednesday night, vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.

According to media reports, the mentally unstable victim was a 50-year-old mother of five. She was released by a group of islanders who saw her tied to the lamppost late Monday night, after which the gender ministry was alerted when photos circulating on social media.

“She walks around the whole island even after midnight bothering people. It’s most likely that it was done by people who were upset about that. Whoever did it, it wasn’t right,” a Feydhoo island council member told Mihaaru.

The woman was taken to a state shelter on Funadhoo island Wednesday night after a team of police officers and gender ministry officials were sent to the northern island.

She was taken together with a 21-year-old daughter who also suffers from a mental illness. An assessment concluded that her living conditions were unsafe, a gender ministry spokesman said. Two of her other children below 18 years of age were also in a safe environment, he assured.

Photo from Raajje.mv