Day: July 3, 2011

Education authorities halt extra-curricular activities as dengue fears escalate

Education authorities have stopped short of closing schools despite taking the decision to suspend extra-curricular activities over concerns about the further spread of dengue fever in the country, according to local media reports.

The government yesterday labelled an outbreak of the virus across Male’ and a number of islands as “an epidemic” after drafting the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) into efforts to try and combat the disease spreading.

Concerns have risen after the virus was linked to the death of four children over two days this week.

Amidst concerns about the further spread of the virus, education officials told local media today that they were suspending outdoor camps and other after-school activities in an attempt to minimize infection rates.

According to local newspaper Haveeru, the escalation of concerns about the prevalence of dengue has led to the formation of a makeshift ward at Male’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) that consists of 19 beds specifically to treat suspected dengue cases.

The paper has also report added that a four-year old boy hospitalised at IGMH since June 28 was in too serious a condition to be moved abroad for treatment.

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Industry seeks “grace period” for overhauling employee living conditions

Business organisations and labour rights groups have called on the government for more time to address proposed amendments to the Employment Act that will drastically shake up living standards for foreign and local workers employed within the Maldives.

The Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports has today invited comments on the new proposals requiring all employers within the country to ensure that specific standards of living quarters are being provided to staff such as those living on resorts or construction sites.

The proposed amendments to the Employment Act outline new requirements for staff accommodation that include providing a clear separation of work and private space, sufficient artificial or natural light, purpose built kitchen areas and specific health and safety standards.

From the perspective of employers, Mohamed Ali Janah, President of the Maldives Association of Construction Industry (MACI), said that despite certain negative perceptions of the industry over treatment of its workers, beyond a few bad examples, there was a willingness to improve treatment of staff.

“Any improvement [to worker’s living conditions] we would welcome. Yet, with any improvements there is a cost attached to this,” he said.

Speaking to Minivan News, Janah said that he believed that the proposed amendments to workers’ living conditions would impact on the cost of construction work in the Maldives.  He said implementing such living standard changes would therefore require a grace period of around one year to allow businesses and their customers to adapt to the changes.

The MACI president claimed that in an already highly competitive marketplace,  society, rather than the construction industry alone, would have to accept some of the financial burden to offset the higher costs of accommodating workers to the standard proposed by the Human Resources Ministry.

“This will definitely have an impact on proposed costs in the industry. Right now, in what is currently a competitive market. We are just managing to get through the economic situation,” he said.

Alongside the Employment Act regulations, Janah said that he believed that additional legislation relating to occupational health and safety was needed to be addressed both in terms of private and government contracts – an issue he claimed was not always the case in negotiations for a construction project.

“The Maldives building code and health and safety requirements also need to be addressed along with these amendments,” he added.

Taking the example of what he believed were differences between the present and previous governments, the MACI president claimed that the implementation of a more structured national budget had meant that state building contracts were no longer a sure thing for building groups. These changes within the construction market were therefore seen as putting further pressure on building firms to try and cut costs while providing new residences for staff.

“[The accommodation proposals] are a good move, but there needs to be time for the industry to adapt,” Janah claimed. “There is awareness of the new requirements that needs to be created. I don’t believe penalizing companies would be the best practice and that a grace period of around a year would be a good time frame to address [the changes].”

Tourism workers

From a tourism industry perspective, worker’s organisations like the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM) have criticised the decision to give just 15 days to provide feedback to the regulations proposed by the Human Resources Ministry.

TEAM President Ahmed Shihaam said that the association would be discussing its responses to the changes in accommodation within the next 24 hours, though had hoped the group would also have time to consult with tourism industry employers as well.

Shihaam claimed that a 15 day time-frame to respond to the regulations made it difficult to consult with important stakeholders like resort employers on the long-term implications of the proposals.

“Rather than days, we may need a month or so to address these issues properly, both with our members and the employers [the resorts themselves],” he said. “This is new to us all and the intention is not to make enemies.”

The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), which represents a number of resort businesses operating in the country was unavailable for comment when contacted by Minivan News at the time of going to press.

In addressing the proposals for the Employment Act, Human Resources Minister Hassan Latheef said that the proposed new accommodation standards had been adapted from recommendations outlined by the International Labour Ogranisation (ILO), specifically in terms of sanitation conditions and room size.

Latheef claimed that the proposals would address many of the complaints and concerns received by the country’s Labour Relations Authority from Maldivian Workers concerning the conditions of their accomadation, particularly at resort level.
“Maldivians, rarely complain on the pursuit of [unpaid] salaries, most of the time, they complain about the conditions at work or their living conditions. Most of the complaints I should say come from resort workers,” he said. “Their complaints come from not being paid a service charge they are entitled to, to conditions of their accommodation and alleged discrimination from senior management.”

By comparison, Latheef claimed that about 95 percent of complaints received by the Labour Relations Authority from expatriate workers related to the alleged failure of an employer to pay their wages rather than living conditions.

Accommodation amendments

The proposals opened up to public consultation by the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports are scheduled to come into force four months after being published in the government gazette.

These requirements include:

  • Lodging should provide shelter from the natural elements, and be constructed using suitable materials
  • If a lodging is based at a work site, there should be a fence separating these two area at a distance of 1.5 metres
  • At entrance of lodging, a service provider’s name and contact number should be displayed along with the maximum number of people that can be accommodated
  • Lodgings should have enough daylight or artificial light as well as a means of letting air pass through
  • A single worker’s accommodation should equate to 6 square metres of living space at a height of 2.4 metres and an all round width of 1.8 metres
  • For 2 people sharing accommodation, there should 9 square metres of space that is 2.4 metres in height and 2.1 metres in width – each extra person after that should be supplied with 4.5 square metres of living space, 2.4 metres in height with a width of 2.1 metres
  • Rooms should be for separated by gender, unless workers are married
  • Lodgers should also have a means of locking away valuables
  • A toilet should be provided for every 10 people staying at a lodging
  • A sewerage system should be in place and constructed with permission from the relevant authorities
  • A kitchen should be supplied that is appropriate for the surroundings, while it’s forbidden to cook inside lodgings at construction sites
  • Employers or the service provider will be fined up to Rf5,000 for each failure of regulation that is recorded

More information on the measures can be found on the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports’ website.

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DRP council to decide on coalition with Gasim’s Jumhoree Party

The council of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) is set to decide on entering into a formal coalition with the Jumhooree Party (JP) at an impromptu meeting tonight, following unsuccessful talks with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to resolve a protracted dispute over control of parliamentary committees.

DRP Media Coordinator Ali Solih confirmed to Minivan News that “discussion regarding a coalition agreement with the Jumhoree Party” was on the agenda for tonight’s meeting. Solih added that a decision would be reached and announced by the end of the day.

As the parties have failed to reach a compromise over the new composition of committees for over a month, the issue is likely to be decided by a vote when parliament resumes tomorrow.

Meanwhile the committees, where legislation is reviewed and finalised, have been stalled since the beginning of this year’s second session in June.

Following the defection of two opposition MPs to the ruling party during the May recess, the MDP’s representation has increased from 39 to 45 percent, entitling the party to five out of 11 seats in each of the 12 committees.

However if the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party-People’s Alliance (DRP-PA) coalition is strengthened with the addition of the three JP MPs, the allied opposition parties would also command five seats, leaving just one slot to be filled by one of the remaining eight Independents.

With the ruling and opposition parties tied with five seats each, the support of the Independent MP would effectively decide which side controls a majority.

Deadlock

Speaking to Minivan News today, Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Mohamed Solih, parliamentary group (PG) leader of the MDP, said that as the talks has not officially failed the parties had until tomorrow morning to resolve the dispute.

“All we are saying is that we should get the number of seats we deserve according to the rules of procedure,” he said. “But the DRP has even said in the talks that they want a majority of all the committees. That is not going to happen.”

Ibu Solih explained that the MDP would object to voting on a matter that was clearly specified in the rules of procedures.

“It shouldn’t be on the agenda in the name of solving the dispute over committees,” he said. “The rules clearly state that MDP should get five seats, and if DRP forms a coalition with the Jumhooree Party, they should get five seats, too. There is no need to take a vote on something that is determined in the rules.”

The MDP MP for Hinnavaru added that the rules of procedure granted Speaker Abdulla Shahid the discretion to decide which of the eight Independents would sit on which committee. He suggested that it was therefore up to the Speaker to resolve the issue.

The newly-elected MDP parliamentary group leader also welcomed the potential coalition between the DRP and JP.

“We want to see a strong opposition coalition,” he said. “We hope it will lead to a better working environment inside parliament.”

While the PG leader did not anticipate obstruction to the government’s economic reform package should the opposition retain control of influential committees, “there is no disagreement over the principle of taxation but differences over the timing [for introducing new taxes].”

“We will work to pass the bills in its current form,” he said.

DRP Deputy Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef meanwhile told Minivan News last week that a formal coalition agreement with the Jumhoree Party would strengthen the party regardless of the factional battle waging between Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s ‘Z-DRP’.

“There are many positions on which we agree. Gasim was once deputy leader of the DRP and his political and ideology remain similar,” Shareef said.

DRP MP Ahmed Nihan from the Z-DRP concurred that “there are certain circumstances it which committees concerned with public accountability, finance and national security should [be held] by the opposition.”

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Police statistics raise questions over scale of Maldives sexual abuse

A man in his sixties was arrested in Fares-Maathoda last week on suspicion of sending inappropriate text messages to a 12 year old girl as police figures indicate that the number of sexual abuse cases being reported is on course to exceed last year’s total.

“The man had given a phone to the [12 year old] girl, and was sending inappropriate text messages to her, he was also trying to lure her places to meet up” said police spokesperson Ahmed Shiyam in regards to the Fares-Maathoda allegations.

Shiyam said that it was uncertain as yet if an actual meeting had taken place between the suspect and his alleged victim. “We are currently investigating that,” he added.

Police today also confirmed that on June 30 2011, a 33 year old man in Addu Atoll was arrested over the alleged abuse of a 17 year old girl. Shiyam declined to give any more information on this case saying investigations were continuing.

Increase in reported cases

Alongside providing details of these allegations, official police figures given to Minivan News have indicated that a total of 163 sexual abuse cases were reported last year. The same statistics also revealed that 108 sexual abuse cases had been reported up to the end of May 2011. According to these figures, 30 of these cases allegedly involved victims aged between 2 to 12 years.

The number of abuse cases being reported has caused concern among groups such as NGOs. Back in April, the Advocating Rights of Children (ARC) group issued a press release expressing concern at the rising number of child abuse cases in the country, calling on the relevant authorities to strengthen laws to protect children.

However, public and political opinion appears divided on whether there is an increase in the incidence of abuse cases or the number of allegations being reported.

“I believe abuse cases happen a lot in the Maldives, it is just that in the past it was not reported,” said Mariyam Leesha, a 35 year old mother of two, who has reported being a victim of abuse herself.

Leesha said that she believed society was now more open in talking about abuse meaning more people are reporting allegations to the police.

“When a victim is not believed, they will not talk about it anymore,” she said.

Leesha has said that she was abused by her uncle as a child, allegations that her family refused to believe at the time.

According to Leesha, the culture of shame and fear that previously hindered people from reporting sexual and child abuse has been broken to an extent, although more work was needed as a society.

“Even recently when a Maldivian film on child abuse was shown, there were people who said that it should not have been enacted,” she said. Leesha says that issues like sexual abuse need to be discussed more to encourage people to report abuse.

The Gender Ministry declined to comment when asked by Minivan News on the possible causes of the increased rate of sexual abuse cases being reported, saying there was an absence of study or research to make any conclusions.

The names of any victims mentioned in this article have been changed to protect their identity.

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News report links Maldives to Indian health insurance scheme

The Maldives is reportedly among a number of nations showing interest in an Indian health insurance scheme designed to aid workers earning below the poverty line from significant hospital costs.

The India-based Economic Times newspaper on Friday (July 1) quoted Anil Swarup, Director General for Labour Welfare in Delhi, as claiming that delegations from countries like the Maldives, Nigeria and Bangladesh had sought technical guidance on potentially implementing and running the Rashtriya Swastya Bima Yojana (RSBY) scheme in their respective nations.

The claims were made during a state-level workshop on the insurance scheme that was held in India.

RSBY was launched back in 2007 as a partially state-funded insurance plan to protect low earning families in the country by covering medical charges of up to Rs 30,000 (US$642) after the claimant pays a initial Rs30 (US$0.67) registration fee, the news report added. About 25 states in the country are reported to have signed up to the scheme.

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