28. At the time of the ratification of Anti‐human Trafficking Act, the Ministry of Youth and
Sports (MYS) was mandated to carry out the function of the combating human
trafficking issue. However, with the revision of the mandate of MYS in June 2014, by the
President’s Office (PO), the function of combating human trafficking was transferred to
Ministry of Economic Development (MED).12 Additionally, this change is not yet
reflected in the aforementioned committee established to combat human trafficking.
29. The Biological and Behavior Survey on HIV/AIDS‐2008 revealed that children as young as
12 years old are involved in commercial sex.13 Moreover, country report submitted to
the UNAIDS Secretariat in 2012 included information on a Risk Behaviour Mapping
conducted in 2010, which estimated 8 percent of female sex workers from the 12
islands were under the age of 18 years.14 Based on this mapping result it was estimated
that there are of 1,139 female sex workers in the country.15 The use of children and
women forced into commercial sex work remain as an area that needs a further study.
30. It is also imperative to highlight that in many cases migrant female domestic workers are
restrained from leaving the employers home through threats and other means and are
at times trapped in situations of forced labour.16
31. Although former Ministry of Gender and Family (restructured now to Ministry of Law
and Gender) settled to accommodate female victims of human trafficking in the facility
designated to shelter victims of domestic violence (Amaan Hiyaa), however, this
arrangement is no longer exists. Budgetary constraints and lack of political will, have led
to delay in the establishment of a shelter designated for victims of human trafficking.
32. With the support and assistance from International Organization for Migration (IOM)
capacity building programs on anti‐human trafficking have been conducted to all
relevant stakeholders dealing with the issue. However, it is significant to draw attention
to the need to conduct such programs regularly to facilitate and expedite structural
reforms needed to address the issues arising from human trafficking and to combat
human trafficking.
33. Lack of financial and human resources appears to be one of the fundamental challenges
faced in the establishment of the required institutional mechanisms needed to combat
human trafficking. It has also immobilized the setup of anti‐human trafficking unit.
Despite the enactment of the Anti‐Human Trafficking Act, it is still rather a challenge to
obtain information relating to this topic from most of the stakeholders.
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