1,443 cases of child abuse reported; 3 cases of anti-vaxxers

A total of 1,443 cases related to child abuse, including three cases of refusal to vaccinate children, were filed in 2021, of which only 294 have been resolved so far, the gender ministry said on Monday.

At a session of the parliament's Human Rights Committee to discuss the gender ministry's annual report of 2021, the ministry shared statistics on cases related to children from the year.

Among the 1,443 child abuse cases filed last year:

In addition to this there are reported behavioural cases as well as cases of children in violations of law.

The ministry told the parliamentary committee that most of the issues that have not yet been resolved are being regularly monitored.

Saushan Abdullah, permanent secretary at the gender ministry, said the biggest challenge in dealing with such cases is the lack of adequately trained staff. She pointed out that there is only one social worker currently available to deal with all such cases filed in Haa Alif atoll.

State minister Mohamed Shihab also highlighted the need for counselling and psychosocial support in the face of trauma, adding that there is a shortage of trained staff in the country.

In order to address this issue, the ministry is working to set up networks in four parts of the country and develop their staff to levels where their services can be rendered safely and swiftly to those in need.

The gender ministry and the Child and Family Protection Service (CFPS) are the institutions that deal with child abuse. From cases investigated by these authorities, there are around 200 children in state custody at present as there is no way to ensure a safe environment for these children or there is no one willing to take care of the child.