Civil society organisations operating in the Maldives need more empowerment and support from the government, says Fathimath Haneefa, head of the Addu Women's Development Initiative (AWDI). 

The AWDI chairperson said that having a state representative who visits communities and provides information to local non-profit organisations will help empower civil initiatives. 

In an interview with RaajjeTV on Sunday, Haneefa said that there is a considerable inaccessibility to information on laws and regulations. 

Haneefa has worked on gender equality and women empowerment initiatives in southernmost Addu City for over 20 years.

In Sunday's interview, Haneefa said that while political participation of women in the Maldives remains high, social participation is yet low. 

Transparency Maldives' Aiman Rasheed had also participated in the interview, and spoke on a bill in parliament seeking to set quotas for women in local government councils. 

Aiman said that women pariticipating in politics is one of the most direct ways to ensure equality.