The Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Family Protection Authority (FPA) to conduct the Perpetrator Rehabilitation Programme for domestic abusers.
The agreement was signed by the Commissioner of Prisons at MCS Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FPA Aminath Shirani Naeem. The programme aims to address the high number of domestic abuse cases in the Maldives. Under the agreement, FPA consultants will conduct the programme, targeting inmates who are currently imprisoned due to domestic violence-related convictions.
The programme falls under the Phase 2 of the Rehabilitation Framework. Existing programmes within this phase encompass the Sex Offender Programme, which is targeted towards inmates serving sentences for sexual offenses.
Additional programmes are also underway to facilitate the reintegration of inmates, including a prison-based drug rehabilitation programme commencing in 2022. According to MCS, an average of 64 individuals were taken into custody per month in the preceding year and the correctional service has been granting freedom to 40 inmates each month. For the past five years, an average of 1,489 inmates have been incarcerated annually.