Children’s Ombudsperson Niumath Shafeeq has stated that more measures need to be taken for the long-term prevention of issues related to children. She made the statement at the Child Rights Symposium held in association with United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
Speaking at the forum, Ombudsperson Niumath said the laws related to children show that their protection should not be a burden on one institution and that the findings of the Children’s Ombudsperson’s Office has revealed that long-term measures need to be taken to prevent issues related to children from arising.
Furthermore, Niumath noted that protecting and caring for children is a responsibility of all members of society and that any issue related to children should be stopped before they become worse. In this regard, she said that a policy should be established to evaluate and prevent such issues from arising.
The purpose of the Child Rights Symposium is to discuss and strengthen the work of institutions related to the protection of children and to share information and experience of the institutions. The forum was attended by officials from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services, Ministry of Education, Maldives Police Service (MPS), Department of Juvenile Justice, the President’s Office, and UNICEF.