182. A significant proportion of the child population in the Maldives is subjected to child abuse. Yet, only a small fraction of the reported victims end up getting justice due to systemic failures leaving children re‐victimized. The constraints faced in convicting offenders of child abuse include difficulties in obtaining evidence, issues faced in the interpretation of evidence by courts, matters relating to the medico‐legal reports, prevailing societal attitudes to treat child abuse matters as a private matter, issue of stigmatization and legal age of consent. FCPD also expressed its concern about the delay in prosecution of cases and the fact that victims of child abuse are at many times, forced to withdraw the charges by their parents, as the perpetrator is usually a close relative or a family member responsible for providing financial support to the family. In such instance, when the victim of child abuse is denied testimony in the court, the charges against the perpetrator has to be dropped even when the evidences presented to the court substantiate that the child has been sexually abused. Another concern is the release of the perpetrators into the same community as that of the victims. In addition for those children abused in their family no institution yet exists to offer safe protection as safe homes during the course of the investigation and trial. 183. State should address these aforementioned issues as well as strengthen rehabilitation measures for the child abuse victims and also to further intensify periodic awareness programs, targeting concerned parties including parents, teachers, judges and lawyers regarding child rights. Chapter: Article 24: Rights of the Child Source: Ministry of Gender, Family and Human Rights 71