Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has stated the government aims to ensure inmates can be reintegrated into the society as responsible and useful citizens.
The home minister made the remarks in the ceremony held to sign the agreement with State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) to provide employment opportunities for inmates released on parole.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Home Minister Imran said a prosperous society can only be built by ensuring equal access to opportunities for all. In this regard, the minister noted individuals who are exposed to criminal activities are usually in that situation because of economic and social hardships that result from a lack of access to education, training and employment opportunities. As such, he said the rehabilitation programmes conducted in prisons are aimed to develop the useful skills and talents of inmates and ensure they are reintegrated into the society as responsible and beneficial individuals.
Speaking at the ceremony, Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu said the programme launched with STELCO will enable the completion of the rehabilitation process of inmates. He said it is an added boost to the efforts of Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) to ensure inmates are accepted into the society once they are released from prison.
The programme is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of STELCO. The agreement for the programme was signed by STELCO, MCS and Ministry of Home Affairs.