Male, Maldives (CU)_ First Lady Fazna Ahmed has asserted that the rights of children should be the utmost priority of government officials. She remarked this during the opening ceremony of the “Police Conference on Violence Against Children: Prevention, Protection, and Investigation” event held in Maldives. During the event, First Lady Fazna encouraged the authorities and organizations that are involved in preventing and investigating acts of violence and abuse against children to make the protection of children’s rights their top priority.
The First Lady discussed the individual and institutional roles and duties in addressing child abuse situations and advocated for enhanced inter-agency collaboration and communication while handling such cases. She also discussed the responsibility of key authorities in maintaining public trust in the system. She indicated a lack of human resources in the field as a hindrance to child protection initiatives and encouraged all agencies to take collaborative action to defend children’s rights.
The Maldives Police Service and UNICEF Maldives together hosted the three-day conference at CROSSROADS Maldives. The event provided an opportunity for the participants to become acquainted with the laws and regulations of safeguarding children’s rights and to identify areas that need special focus while developing an 18-month action plan.
Children and youngsters enjoy the same basic human rights as adults, as well as additional rights that recognize their unique needs. Children are neither their parents’ property nor helpless objects of charity. They are humans who are entitled to their own rights. Since children are dependents and are still in developing state, they are more susceptible than adults to poor living situations such as poverty, inadequate health care, nutrition, safe water, housing, and environmental pollution. Moreover, the effects of disease, hunger, and poverty directly affect the future of children, and consequently, the future of the society where they reside.
