26th April 2012, Male; The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ms. Dunya Maumoon, today called the enactment of the Domestic Violence Bill as an important step forward for gender equality and non-discrimination in the Maldives, and as an early indication of the current Government's commitment to human rights. The Bill is the first to be enacted by H.E. President Mohamed Waheed when he signed it into law on April 23rd as the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, following parliamentary approval on April 9th.
The State Minister, who played a leading role in developing and submitting the original Bill as the then-President of the DRP's Women's Wing, said: "The Domestic Violence Act is important at a substantive level because of the improvements in will bring to human rights protection in the Maldives. But it is also important at a symbolic level both in that the first bill enacted by President Waheed is a piece of human rights legislation, and in that it was adopted with cross-party support".
"I hope this can become a model for other pieces of crucial and long-overdue human rights legislation such as Bills on Freedom of Information, on Prison and Parole, on equality and non-discrimination; a Bill transposing the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women into national law, a sexual harassment Bill, a revised Children's Rights Act, a Bill on mental health, a Bill on trafficking in persons, and the new Penal Code. There is no reason why we cannot work together, in a bipartisan manner, to adopt such crucial legislation as swiftly as possible" she said.
The act defines domestic violence as an attack against someone by any other person with whom that they are presently, or have been in a domestic relationship. It also provides protection for victims of domestic violence and seeks to punish the perpetrators of such crimes.
The objectives of the act include; declaring all acts of domestic violence as a punishable crime, giving protection and safety to victims of domestic violence and giving cost-effective, due and timely justice to victims of domestic violence.
Speaking after ratifying the bill, President Waheed announced that the Family Protection Authority (FPA), which is required to be established under the act, would be formed soon.
The enactment of the Bill has been warmly welcomed by the international community, including organisations such as UN Women, with Anne F. Stenhammer, the Regional Programme Director of UN Women in South Asia calling it a "remarkable gain for the women of Maldives".
ENDS