The government will be enforcing the new, more lenient, parental leave policy for the civil service, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said.

The new policy was a key presidential pledge for President Solih, and grants paid family leave of six months for new mothers, and a month for new fathers.

The policy previously followed required that employees be given maternity leave of three months, and paternity leave of three days.

The policy is already being implemented by the State Trading Organization and the Maldives Airports Company Limited.

President Solih announced this at an event held in Maafushi island of Kaafu atoll to commemorate the International Women’s Day, where he had conferred the Rehendhi Awards, a national award given annually to women of outstanding achievement.

At the event, President Solih said that the government is taking steps to develop the status of women in Maldivian society.

The government will introduce a policy to allocate 20 percent of all loans given out under the newly established small enterprise loan scheme exclusively to women recipients, the president said.