The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Navi Pillay urged the Maldives parliament on Thursday to end the “degrading” practice of flogging women found to have extramarital sex. “This practice constitutes one of the most inhumane and degrading forms of violence against women, and should have no place in the legal framework of a democratic country,” said Pillay. “I strongly believe that a public debate is needed in Maldives on this issue of major concern.” Pillay engaged in discussions with Maldives officials on how to end the practice and prospective law reforms in favouring better treatment of women. “At the very least, pending more permanent changes in the law, it should be possible for the government and the judiciary to engineer a practical moratorium on flogging,” she said. In the Maldives 30 lashes are given to women found to have committed adultery. Court officials would not give numbers on how many women are flogged. Pillay also touched on the poor treatment of migrant worker, especially those from Bangladesh. “Migrant workers are often abused, exploited and cheated of their hard-earned income by traffickers and unscrupulous employers in the Maldives,” she said. Pillay has also expressed concern about rising religious intolerance in the Maldives which is better known as a popular luxury tourist destination. Sunni Islam is the official religion of the Maldives, the population are forbidden from practicing any religion other than Islam. The case of Ismail Mohammed Didi has become well known for portraying the level of religious intolerance present in the Maldives. Last year Didi was found hanged in the aircraft control tower at Male International Airport where he worked. Didi was shunned from family, colleagues and received death threats after declaring he was an atheist. Didi had sent two e-mails to international human Rights organizations declaring he was an atheist, pleading for help and asylum to the UK; however the same day Didi committed suicide. Despite being party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Maldives ranks high among governments that restrict religious freedom. BM
