Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services Aishath Mohamed Didi has stated reported cases of domestic violence and cases involving children have declined in March.
Speaking at the press briefing held by National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), Minister Aishath Mohamed Didi said reports of violence and abuse have been submitted to the ministry over the past three months, adding the ministry is putting the best efforts to investigate the cases it receives despite the global COVID-19 pandemic. The minister said a hotline is operational although the government has been taking measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the country. She urged the public to report such cases to the ministry without delay.
Highlighting the statistics of the cases submitted to the ministry, she said the ministry received 34 reports of domestic violence in January, while the number increased to 39 in February and decreased to 26 in March.
Meanwhile, cases related to children reported to the ministry in January was 121. The number increased to 169 in February and saw a decline in March, with 101 cases reported to the ministry.
The gender minister said it is continuing services of all centres under the ministry without any disruption even amidst the outbreak. Stating the ministry is well prepared and has no challenges to continue its operations, Minister Aishath Mohamed Didi said the centres located across the country are prepared to run the operations without closing the centres.
The minister also said the administration will assure the rights of all people under care of the state, as social responsibility is a priority even amid a global outbreak. She further said all centres have an extra month of stocks available and all centres now have at least two isolation rooms.