President announces plans to establish shelters, a fund for domestic violence victims

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Saturday, announced plans to establish shelters and a fund to support victims of domestic violence in Maldives.

The President made the announcement at a conference organized by the MDP women’s branch to mark International Women’s Day, which began in suburban Vilimale’ this Saturday morning.

President Solih said that domestic violence against women was a serious issue in Maldives, and that the government had several policies aimed at curbing such violence.

He said the government would begin work on establishing shelters to house women who are removed from their residences following domestic violence before the end of 2022, and that an emergency fund = to provide financial support to domestic violence victims would be established before the end of 2023.

“It is one of our goals to provide financial support to victims of abuse. I believe that every act of support towards women is a national endeavor,” said President Solih.

He said that the households were the backbone of development, making the protection of women all the more imperative.

He said that the government also planned on introducing a designated hotline to report domestic violence.

President Solih said that women played a crucial role development of local communities and the nation itself. He said that the establishment of democracy in Maldives would not have been possible if not for the hard work of courageous women.

The President also highlighted on existing government initiatives in the area, including the introduction of daycare centers at workplaces.

He said that the government planned on establishing child care centers in three regions of Maldives.

Construction of centers in Male’ City and Addu City will begin this year, he said.

The conference underway in Vilimale’ will focus on redressing challenges facing women. Discussions will focus on five main topics; blue economy, justice, island lifestyle, government-citizen interactions, and respectable families.

MDP has also launched a festival titles the Rahvehi Festival which aims at delivering the latest information of the MDP government’s legislative agenda.