Ministry of Gender and Family in collaboration with UNICEF Maldives commences the first National Conference on Violence Against Children to deliberate and formulate a National Action Plan to address key issues and concerns relating to protecting children against violence.
Speaking at the opening ceremony held today at Kurumba Maldives, Minister of Gender and Family H.E. Zenysha Shaheed Zaki stated that the conference aims to initiate dialogue and to identify roles and responsibilities of relevant stakeholders in addressing the existing gaps in preventing violence against children in the Maldives. She further encouraged the participants of the conference to utilize the discussions to set realistic and measurable goals when developing the first National Action Plan on Violence Against Children.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Country Representative of UNICEF Maldives Dr. Alice Akunga highlighted that the cost of strengthening preventive mechanisms to create a safe environment is relatively less compared to the protective measures taken in the aftermath to attend to cases of violence against children. She further highlighted the importance of all stakeholders working together and taking responsibility to create a safe environment for children.
A special video on violence against children which featured comments and views of members of the Steering Committee of the conference was also presented at the ceremony. The Steering Committee comprised of representatives from the Ministry of Gender and Family, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Maldives Police Service, Family Protection Authority, UNICEF Maldives and civil society organizations – Society for Health Education (SHE) and Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC).
A total of 59 representatives from relevant Ministries, state institutions, non-governmental organizations and foreign agencies is participating in this conference being held from 15 to 17 August 2017.
15 August 2017