111. There are no effective rules of procedure to address inefficiencies and unfairness that
may be alleged to weak enforcement of judgments in the justice system.
112. The State should ensure that judgments by the courts are enforced and no influence
of any kind prevents justice from being served.
Openness of Court Proceedings to the Public
113. Although, court proceedings are open to the public, except some specific cases like
family issues and child related issues, the courts do not have adequate chambers for those
proceedings; most of the court rooms can accommodate a maximum of 6‐7 persons at a
time. Some Judges have informed HRCM that the judiciary has been working with the state
to arrange better court houses since 2009, but the issue remains unresolved.
Juvenile Justice System
115. Juvenile justice system is one of the core areas of the judiciary that need to be
strengthened. Persons involved in the juvenile justice system are not given professional
trainings and they are not given training on relevant international standards. The court is
not provided with adequate chamber and appropriate setting for the trial of juveniles.
Furthermore, there are no probation officers to ensure that the child meets/fulfils the
probation terms, when the court orders the juvenile to be placed on probation.
116. Although there is correctional treatment available for juvenile offenders, only a limited
number can have access to them. The Correctional Training Centre in Feydhoo Finolhu (only
center of this kind in Maldives), under Juvenile Justice Unit (JJU) of Ministry of Home Affairs,
managed by Maldives Police Service, is unable to accommodate all the juvenile offenders
and the center houses only male offenders. Furthermore, juvenile offenders and
delinquents are in the same correctional center which should ideally be managed by
professionals suited for this type of work other than police officers.
117. Age of criminal responsibility of juveniles in Maldives is set between 10‐15 years, in
which a child can be held responsible for crimes like murder, fornication, terrorism and drug
abuse if she or he has reached puberty or turned fifteen years of age by the time of the
crime. Juveniles above 15 years are held accountable for all categories of crimes, if
committed.
Chapter: Article 14: Equality before the Law & Article 26: Legal Protection of the Law
114. The State must provide court houses with adequate chamber so that court
proceedings can be made open to the public.
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