The Children's Ombudsperson Office (COO) has concluded its Child Rights Community Audit programme in Eydhafushi, Baa Atoll.
COO held the programme for agencies working to protect the interests of children in Eydhafushi to determine the adherence to the Child Rights Protection Act and the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child. Six government agencies in Eydhafushi were audited during the programme. They are the Baa Atoll Education Centre, Eydhafushi Magistrate Court, Maldives Police Service (MPS), Baa Atoll Hospital, Eydhafushi Island Council, and the Family and Children’s Service Centre. During the audit, COO interviewed employees of the agencies, checked their records, inspected the offices, and inquired on the challenges the agencies face in their work.
Following the audit programme, the COO conducted a workshop with representatives of the agencies. Compliance Officer Fathimath Nabaha said that agencies shared information on their work to protect the interests of children during the workshop. They were also taught the policy on reporting cases related to child rights violations. She said that more work needs to be done to increase awareness of the rights of children among employees of the agencies and the public.
COO has conducted the Child Rights Community Audit in five atolls. It will be submitting the information it has collected during the audit to the relevant authorities and will be monitoring the implementation of the proposed changes every three months.
COO is tasked with the protection and promotion of rights ensured under the Child Rights Protection Act. The ombudsperson is also responsible for making sure the relevant state institutions act in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. As such, the ombudsperson is responsible for monitoring and evaluating staff at the institutions tasked with protecting children's rights and carrying out inquiries on any violations.