Missing child reports to activate automatic exploitation probe
Missing children's cases have increased recently. Most of these cases are closed when the child returns home.
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By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
Prosecutor General (PG) Hussain Shameem has issued an advisory on how to investigate and prosecute cases of child exploitation after receiving reports of missing children.
Confirming that such a directive has been issued, the PG Office said that such a directive was issued to combat the challenges in prosecuting those that recruit or use children for various offences, as it is a form of crime that is challenging in the investigation and prosecution of such offences.
Also, to ensure that all the agencies involved in the criminal justice system follow the same procedure in this regard.
This instruction is issued for all relevant authorities. Therefore, the statement issued by the PG Office does not provide details of the directive.
However, the prosecutor's office told Atoll Times that the guidelines gave instructions to all agencies working in the relevant fields on what the authorities and police should consider in investigating child exploitation cases and the procedures to be followed in prosecution.
Some of the key tips given are:
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The investigation of the offence of exploitation of a child should be initiated as soon as the police receives a report of a child's disappearance
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In order to prevent further exploitation of the child, the investigation should be launched immediately and conducted expeditiously with the help of CCTV footage and other available resources
The directive was issued under Section 15 of the Prosecutor-General Act, which gives the prosecutor the responsibility to oversee examinations and investigations conducted in connection with alleged criminal offences and ensure that they are carried out in accordance with the law.
The directive will enable the prosecutor's office to investigate and prosecute cases against children and those who groom and recruit children in a more robust manner across the country.
Missing children cases have increased recently. Most of these cases end when the child returns home themselves after a search is announced.
