Talented youth with disabilities from a northern island dismissed from employment

Former State Minister for Gender, Ifham Hussain, has expressed deep concern over the dismissal of a talented young person with disabilities from Fenaka Corporation Limited.

In a post on X on Monday, Ifham highlighted that the young man was a recipient of the "Riveli Award" presented by the Gender Ministry. She noted that, under the policy to provide employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, he had been working at the local Fenaka office.

However, he stated that the persistent bullying he faced within the island community took a severe toll on his mental health, eventually forcing his family to relocate to Male' to ensure his well-being.

Referring to the response given to the young man’s request for a transfer to Fenaka’s Male’ office following his family’s relocation to the capital, Ifham stated that the corporation claimed there were no available vacancies. He further noted that the youth was subsequently instructed to resign from his position in exchange for a four-month salary settlement.

State Minister for Gender, Ifham Hussain, speaking during RaajjeTV's "Fala Surukhee" program.

Ifham stated that it is unacceptable for Fenaka to terminate an employee with special needs on the grounds of a lack of capacity, especially when the company had previously hired thousands of staff for political purposes during the recent elections.

Furthermore, Ifham described the situation as a source of profound despair for the mother, who is raising her child alone. Ifham added that the mother continues to plead with the Ministry of Gender today, seeking an employment opportunity to ensure her child is not left destitute.

Ifham has called on the government to ensure that individuals in such vulnerable situations are not neglected and to facilitate their reinstatement to employment.

Amidst allegations of severe mistreatment by the current administration against certain individuals, the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) has mandated a 33 percent reduction in the workforce of state-owned enterprises over the next three months, effective July 13. Although a similar directive was issued in April, the government failed to comply at the time. Instead, it appointed numerous individuals to political positions to coincide with the local council elections held that month.

As the government moves to downsize state-owned enterprises following the elections, allegations are mounting that employees affiliated with the opposition MDP are being specifically targeted for dismissal.