Two Men Convicted on Multiple Charges Including Child Exploitation and Assault

Two men have been convicted and sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a woman and three children under the age of 18. The defendants, Ismail Waheed and Mohamed Aseel, were charged on December 30, 2020, after claiming to perform Ruqya. The Criminal Court delivered the verdicts on Wednesday for offences committed on multiple occasions in 2020. Mohamed Aseel received the longest sentence, with a total of 25 years, 10 months, and 24 days in prison for charges including intentional sexual touching of a child and exploitation of a child. Ismail Waheed was sentenced to six years, nine months, and 18 days for charges including child neglect and unauthorized detention. Child sexual abuse remains a significant concern in the Maldives, with authorities urging swift reporting of such cases.