Police arrest underage females from orphanage, detain in Maafushi prison
17 Jan 2013, 5:21 PM
Ahmed Nazeer
The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has called for the immediate release of two underage females living in the Villingili orphanage, who were arrested and sent to Maafushi prison.
Local media alleged that the two girls, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on December 28, 2012, after escaping the orphanage in the middle of the night to fraternise with some boys.
HRCM asked the Ministry of Gender, Family and Human Rights to return the girls to the Villingili orphanage immediately, noting that their incarceration in Maafushi prison violated chapter 2, article 35[a] of the constitution.
The commission stated that government authorities had not cooperated with the commission’s investigation and had furthermore provided false information on the matter.
Police Spokesperson Hassan Haneef and the Villingili orphanage were not responding to calls at time of press.
HRCM said that the two girls were living in Villingili when they were arrested and said that HRCM understands that the girls were kept in Dhoonidhoo Police Custodial before they were transferred to Maafushi Prison.