Discovery of dead baby in outdoor shower a distressing reminder of the Maldives’ failure to address unwanted pregnancies

The police have recovered the body of a newborn infant buried in the outdoor shower of a house on Shaviyani Feydhoo island. The baby’s mother was identified as a 15 year-old school student.

This incident is a reminder of the pervasiveness of underage and out of marriage pregnancies in Maldives, and the subsequent acts of infanticide and abortions – a distressing flaw in the social fabric of the island nation which continues to be unacknowledged and under-addressed by authorities.

According to local news outlet Sun, Feydhoo island girl was allegedly sexually abused and impregnated by her own stepfather. The allegation has not been confirmed by the police.

Media official Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said “the case is sensitive” as the girl is a minor, was being investigated in collaboration with the Gender Ministry. He also refrained from confirming local media reports that the girl is now under arrest.

However, he noted that four people, including the girl’s legal guardians, mother and step father, were now under police custody in relation to the case. He added that the suspects resisted arrest, causing a scene on the island of approximately 700 inhabitants.

“We are investigating allegations of  giving birth outside wedlock, killing and burying the baby,” Haneef explained.

Doctors confirm the baby was already dead when found by the police at around 6:30pm, he observed, adding that the police are investigating the cause of death as well.

However, without post-mortem services and an absence of visible wounds on the infant’s body, proving infanticide in the Maldives is almost impossible without a confession from the suspects.

In 2006, the Juvenile Court acquitted a woman from Dhabidhoo island, who police alleged killed her newborn and threw into the lagoon, ruling that her three confessions contradicted each other. The woman gave birth out of wedlock in 2008.

Tale of illegal pregnancies and throwaways

Due to the conservative exterior of the Maldives  and the deep-rooted culture of blaming the victim, the stigma of having a child out of wedlock drives women to desperate measures.

Mothers helplessly hide the growing bump for nine months and endure the pain and struggle in silence until an abortion is possible, or else abandon the newborns after birth – dead or alive.

Abortion is illegal and unavailable to most mothers, unless it is proved that the conception is the result of rape or that the pregnancy is a threat to the mother’s health.

In last two years, three babies have been discovered dead and two alive. The dead infants included two fetuses, one hidden in a milk tin and the other at the bottom of Male’s municipal swimming pool, while another fully-developed baby was thrown into a park having apparently been strangled by the underwear tied around its neck. Two babies were found abandoned and alive, and have now been placed under state care.

Anecdotal evidence suggests some mothers, both young and adults alike, use abortion-inducing pills or receive injections from amateur abortionists; others turn to harmful vaginal preparations, containing chemicals such as bleach or kerosene. Although infrequent, some women insert objects into their uterus or induce abdominal trauma.

Though these alarming throwaways have grabbed headlines and attracted public attention momentarily, it came short from prompting concrete action from authorities and public to address the underlying issue. Instead it merely provoked widespread condemnation and vehement calls for the mothers to be put to death.

Meanwhile, in the recent case of the 15 year-old, police have not revealed any information surrounding the circumstances of the pregnancy.

Unless it is proved that the pregnancy is the result of rape, Maldivian law provides for her to be publicly lashed and placed under house arrest.

Although the current judicial system restricts adult punishments to children until they reach the legal age of 18, there are currently three exceptions to the provision. One of these is that if she has had a child, a girl will be tried as an adult, according to a 2004 study on gender issues in the criminal justice system.

Out of fear of potentially being stigmatised, fathers seldom take responsibility for their actions, while pregnancy leaves girls guilty by default, leaving mothers to be flogged, publicly humiliated for fornication or incarcerated for infanticide – a disturbing trend of gender-bias observed in the criminal justice system.

All talks, little commitment or action

The issue has been raised at various gender related forums – with many words, but little action.

In 2010, the Deputy Minister of Health and Family at the time, Fathimath Afiya told Minivan News that a meeting was held to discuss reproductive services in the Maldives. While Maldivian and Shariah law criminalise abortion and intercourse outside of wedlock, Afiya said communication between relevant services and the judiciary made it difficult to fully address each case.

“There needs to be an appropriate legal framework for reporting these cases to the services that could help unmarried and teenage women in compromised positions,” said Afiya. “We are very concerned about the rising number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions by married and unmarried women. Today, we began formulating an action plan for short- and long-term improvements,” she added at the time.

However, at the national stakeholders meeting held by UN Women yesterday on the UN Secretary General’s Unite campaign to end violence against women and girls, officials confirmed that “no concrete action plan” has been finalised.

During yesterday’s meeting, as a Unite Youth Network Member, I gave a presentation on violence and problems faced by youth, highlighting sexual health illnesses such as STIs, early pregnancies, abortions among youth and emphasised the need for immediate sexual and reproductive health education.

All participants, including government officials, councilors, police, and gender advocates unanimously agreed on the importance of tackling the problems.

But as participants pointed out at the workshop, most of the time “it is all talk, with little commitment or action”.

“Raising public awareness and educating the girls and boys about their bodies, the ramifications of being sexually active and how to protect themselves from harm is very important,” said a public health official from the Centre for Community Health and Development.

The official noted the magnitude of the sexual health problem and its consequence as a “great national concern”.

“Discussions are underway,” the official said.

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19 thoughts on “Discovery of dead baby in outdoor shower a distressing reminder of the Maldives’ failure to address unwanted pregnancies”

  1. Face facts head on. Sex outside marriage is rampant. Drinking too.

    Let's teach sex education in school and make the kids aware of potential problems. It'd be much better than stories of three-edged stone used to clean your bottom, after defecating, taught in Islam classes. Or the story of Badr wells in the middle of Arabian deserts, millennia ago.

    And make available condoms in high schools as well.

    It happens. Don't hide like an ostrich. Just face the reality head on. As do the other countries.

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  2. Nothing against teaching sex ed in school,

    but assuming you have a kid, you're hoping she pops the cherry by the age of 14 right?

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  3. Hope your kids get pregnant in their teens (from an incident in school)

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  4. Nothing against sex ed,

    But so you secretly want your daughter(assuming you have/will have one)
    to pop the cherry by 14 in school right?

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  5. Teach the youth about the use of condoms - instead of hunting for cursed condoms and calling it 'voodoo'.
    What a backward people !

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  6. This is the result of criminalizing the victims of unplanned pregnancy.

    I can only hope that the child died painlessly.

    Oh, and the rapist should get 2981298120928092389083 years in a work camp with no possibility of parole.

    PS: 'Ablho Gaazee' is the patron friend of rapists, and deserves a 'removal'.

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  7. What a tragedy! Where is Diyana Saeed? Where is Sandhaanu Ahmed Ibrahim Didi? Where is HRCM? Where is the Chief Justice? Where is the Islamic Minister? The tragedy played out in Feydhoo is the result of listening to half-baked mullahs and half-baked judges who have no idea how to put a human face on the noble faith of Islam! And for goodness sake do not charge the little girl with zina! Do not make a mockery of sharia law!

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  8. no one is here talking about religious teaching.if the ppl of maldives follow proper islamic teachings these things will never happen.unfortunatly maldivian ppl knws praying five times n keeping rodha thts all about islam.start learning and start spreading the real islam in maldives.

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  9. @shiraz...so u want to teach 15 yr old kid how to use condom so tht u can hve safe sex with kids....grow up dude.

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  10. Its not really outdoor bathroom,but rather open air bathroom. 😀

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  11. The police never talked about the rapist who impregnated the minor. Are you going to charge the girl with zina??

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  12. In Islam the rape victim is not charged with any zina or anything, and she is to be given a large sum of compensation.

    Afganistan, Pakistan and even Saudi aint the best examples of practiced islam,

    and why dont you shove a knife down your throat, before you mock islam

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  13. Not only failure to address unwanted pregnancies. Failure to address sex abuse and the rights of children.

    People who are not capable of being parents should not be allowed to reproduce!(like the mother in this case)

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  14. Disheartening to hear, how they can kill an infant? It can’t defend himself.
    Who ever doing this can't be considered as any human being or even animal? Praying God to enlighten the people and guide them to come out of darkness.

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  15. Saudi is not the best example of religion?you say...

    hahahaha....

    Even they know, the high and all mighty elephants sitting on their desert oases, what is true and what is not. Also they know how to con and play the game (sheer irony of it is priceless) to keep the gullible enthralled with their mystical devil stories.

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  16. If ever that guys who claimed to turn Maldives into a muslim country is the only reason why these are happening now ! Sharia Law is not for a developing country. A country will not develop with religious Hypocrite rules !

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