Child pornography viewing highest in Maldives

A recent international study has revealed that the Maldives has the highest rate of child pornography viewing in the region.

A senior police official told Atoll Times that there are no effective barriers preventing access to such material online. “There is really no control. If you want to, there are opportunities to look as much as you want,” the official said.

The findings come from a survey conducted by Childlight, an international child protection organisation. According to the report, 156 out of every 10,000 people in the Maldives view child pornography. The study highlights that while this number fell to 94 per 10,000 last year, the Maldives still ranks the highest in the region.

Bangladesh follows with 64 viewers per 10,000, while India records 62 per 10,000. The report notes that child sexual abuse through digital means is widespread, involving about 300 million children globally.

The police chief stated that such incidents have existed in the Maldives for a long time, but the issue is growing. The main reason, he said, is the easy accessibility of explicit material through mobile phones and social media platforms.

He warned that exposure to such content can increase the likelihood of individuals committing similar offences. “If this is not controlled, it could get worse in the future. These are statistics that force us to think about it and take action,” he said.