Press briefing notes on Maldives

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville
Location: Geneva
Date: 23 August 2013
Subjects: Maldives

GENEVA (23 August 2013) – We welcome the annulment on Wednesday by the Maldives High Court of the fornication conviction and flogging sentence passed against a 15 year-old girl in February of this year. Tragically, the girl was also a victim of long-term sexual abuse within her family.

The charge should never have been brought against this child victim. Moreover, a sentence of flogging, irrespective of offence, violates the country's commitments under the UN Convention against Torture, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

We call for all Maldivians to seize this opportunity to push for much needed changes to the system of protection for victims of violence and sexual abuse, particularly children. We welcome efforts to this end, such as the establishment by the President of a high-level committee to review child protection in the country.

We further call on Maldivians to promote the adoption of key laws, such as the Draft Penal code, ensuring their full conformity with human rights treaties ratified by the Maldives.

ENDS

For further information and media requests, please contact Liz Throssell (+ 41 22 917 9434 / ethrossell@ohchr.org)

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