[UK Prime Minister] David Cameron faces calls to intervene in the case of a 15-year-old female rape victim sentenced to 100 lashes in the Maldives as new figures showed the appalling state of women’s rights in the Commonwealth country, writes Jane Merrick for the UK’s Independent newspaper.
British couples are being asked to avoid the Maldives as a honeymoon destination to force the country’s government to overturn the conviction of the girl, who was given the draconian sentence after being raped by her stepfather.
Many of the 500,000 tourists who holiday on the “paradise” islands every year are unaware of the country’s appalling record on women’s rights, with not one single conviction for rape in the past three years.
The Maldivian government’s own figures show that 90 per cent of people sentenced to flogging are female, while one in three women between the ages of 15 and 49 have suffered physical or sexual abuse over the past five years.
A new poll of Maldivians for the global campaign group Avaaz reveals that 92 per cent of people think laws to protect girls and women from sexual assault should be reformed, while 79 per cent think current systems are not adequate or fair. The Asia Research partners poll also reveals that 73 per cent think punishments for sexual crimes are unfair to women, while 62 per cent want a reintroduction of the moratorium on flogging.
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why can't this people do a similar poll in India, Badladeshi and other country. You will see much worse than this.
In fact the figures mentioned here is not true and I doubt that they have even question 1/10 of our female population to arive the conclusion.
What they have been doing is just speak with few Nasheed's associates and then produce a report based on Nasheed's agenda.
@kuribee
What is really wrong with you? What did India or Bangladesh or to you that in every of your comments on any subject, India and Nasheed are your main figures.
Since you care, less of what Maldivian women undergo through the hands of sexual predators and a corrupt judiciary which also has such predators ,one can conclude that you are single, childless and definitely gay.
On the political spectrum, you are hired to write against Nasheed. And to just for your info, you are a racist. My simple advice is take it slow as your comments will cost you in a few months when MDP takes over.
He is a fact for Kuribee. Both India and Bangladesh have had female leaders during the last 20 years.
In fact Bangladesh's 2 main political parties are led by women and have been for over 10 years.
They also have a secular legal systems that does not discriminate against woman even though the majority of the country is Muslim.
So the same survey would still have Bangladesh graded better than the Maldives for woman's right.
No law contrary to Islam can be enacted in Dhivehistan and all international conventions are signed after reservations against anti-Islamic articles. In Dhivehistan gender inequality, domestic violence, marital rape, child marriage and polygyny are "women's right". Women also have the right to bodybag themselves or be called a whore. They have the right to be beaten, to cook and clean for their husbands, and to push out babies till they turn inside out. What more rights does a woman need?