Human rights in the Maldives

Human rights in the Maldives, an archipelagic nation of 417,000 people off the coast of the Indian Subcontinent,[1] is a contentious issue. In its 2011 Freedom in the World report, Freedom House declared the Maldives "Partly Free", claiming a reform process which had made headway in 2009 and 2010 had stalled.[2]

Minority and women's rights

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See also: LGBT rights in the Maldives

Parliament contains five female members, and women have a 98% literacy rate.[3]

In 2011 four police officers were discharged from the force, but not formally charged, for driving a woman around Malé, forcing her to strip her clothes, sexually and physically abusing her, and throwing her on the street.[4]

As the state partially practices Sharia law in some matters, Homosexuality not legal. The punishment for men is nine months to one year imprisonment, or 10 to 30 lashes. The punishment for women is nine months to one year of house arrest.[4]

References

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  1. ↑ "CIA Factbook".
  2. ↑ Freedom House (2011). "Freedom in the World 2011: Maldives". Freedom House. Archived from the original on 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  3. ↑ Freedom House (2011). "Freedom in the World 2011: Maldives". Freedom House. Archived from the original on 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (2012). "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011: Maldives". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2012-08-24.