The Attorney General’s Office has filed a request to the Family Court of Maldives to obtain legal guardianship of all minors who have been taken into state care, in order to ensure the safety of the children.
In the press release, the Attorney General’s Office stated that in addition to the ongoing 18 cases in the family court with regards to obtaining legal guardianship of the minors by the government, an additional 11 cases have been filed to the court to take the children into state care as well as to obtain the legal guardianship of the children by the state.
While Article 35 (a) of the constitution of the Maldives states that receiving special protection and care by the state are rights of children and newborns, Article 18 states that upholding and ensuring that these rights are upheld are responsibilities of the state.
It was revealed by the Attorney General’s Office that the 11 minors are between the ages of 6 and 13. The reason for taking the children into state care was revealed to be parents either refusing to look after their children or repeatedly failing to take care of their children, in cases where no other relative has been arranged to look after the children in question.
The Attorney General’s Office also revealed that most of the parents of the 11 minors in question are drug addicts.
