Situation of children in the Republic of Maldives : secondary analysis of existing information from equity perspective

Abstract

The Republic of Maldives, a small country in the Indian ocean consisting of 1,192 island, of which 194 are inhabited1 by a population of just over 336,0002 people, has been recently declared a middle income country. But has economic prosperity translated into improvement of people’s lives and in children’s lives in particular? And have all children benefited equitably from the increasing economic growth? This paper represents an attempt to consolidate recent evidence of the situation of children in the Maldives with specific focus on existing disparities. It builds on an analysis of published information from Government authorities, population census, household based surveys conducted in recent years, and other research. Information available is not entirely recent and consistency between the different information sources is lacking. Nevertheless the available information allows sufficient in drawing a picture of the situation of Maldivian children, which can be used to inform policy dialogue and to advocate for full implementation of the rights of all children in the country. The report starts with demographic profile of children. Later it is organised around children’s rights: the right to decent standard of living, to survival and health, to education and development, and to identity, care and protection. Lastly, some conclusions and recommendations are drawn from the analysis.