When the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Mr. Frank La Rue, addressed the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly today, the Maldives took the opportunity to make an intervention. Speaking on behalf of the Maldives delegation, Shiruzimath Sameer engaged the special mandate-holder on his latest report focusing on the rights of the child to express their opinions freely, as an essential part of their social development.
The Maldives assured the Special Rapporteur that the Maldives constitutionally guarantees this right for all citizens, both young and old, and is enforcing them in accordance with its obligations under international human rights law. As education is an important ingredient in developing young, free and critical minds, the Maldives has invested heavily in both primary and secondary schooling. The Maldives has been also improving its channels for children, as citizens, to access public information and participate in the processes affecting them, from decision-making on education to the administration of juvenile justice.
In response to the Special Rapporteur's statement, the Maldives stressed the need for parents engagement on the issue of children's freedom of expression, as a matter that was not addressed in detail in his report. The Maldives informed the Committee of a successful project undertaken by the the country with UNICEF to raise parental awareness of the value of listening to children. While parental attitudes may not always align with Government policies, and some policies may undermine the parents' prerogative to guide the upbringing of their child, as a country with strong family values, the Maldives reiterated the need to engage parents, in order to take the views into account on difficult issues, as well as to ensure they uphold the best interests of the child.
