Malé, Maldives – Human Rights Commissioner of Maldives, Moomina Waheed on Sunday night, said that every 3rd women in Maldives is a victim of sexual abuse.
Speaking about mental health on the “Havaasa” programme of “Dhivehi Channel”, Moomina said that statistics reveal that these female victims of sexual abuse are left mentally affected. She added that the victims sometimes reach the point where professional intervention is required as the incidents lead to depression, anxiety and other psychological conditions.
Moomina also highlighted on a survey carried out by the Health Ministry in 2003 which shows the increasing number of people with mental health disorders. She noted that majority of them are women.
Shifaath Abdu-Razzag, also a member of HRCM, added that psychological wellness is required for both genders but when the problems faced by women are taken into account, there are many reasons which may affect their mental health.
When we look at Maldives, women are the victims of sexual abuse majority of the time. In our Maldivian society, most of the time, women undertake the responsibility of taking care of their children or looking after old aged parents.
Shifaath Abdu-Razzag, HRCM
In addition to this, Shifaath said that mental health and physical health are equally important for a person to remain in good health. She noted that people should normalise consulting professionals for mental problems just as they consult doctors for physical problems.
