Children who fall victim to rights violations and negligence suffer from the trauma for a lifetime and the only way to stop these violations is by working together, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Taking the podium at the ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of local NGO, Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC) at Kurumba Maldives on Thursday afternoon, Solih stressed on the importance of the community working together to safeguard children.

Further, the president pushed the people to maximize their efforts to bring an end to the violence and negligence children suffer.

Stressing that there are very less staff trained in the field and most of them lack the expertise, Solih urged the state institutions and civil society organizations to step up their role to curb such crimes.

The community is in dire need to step up efforts to protect children, said the president, who shed light on the efforts put in by the government to assist in protecting children from such violations.

Further, the president emphasized on the establishment of the Child Rights Protection Act and the Presidential Commission to Inquire into Child Rights Violations as part of the government’s efforts to rectify the system.

The recently ratified Child Rights Protection Act notes a framework of rights and responsibilities guaranteed to children, duties of the state, community and parents and seeks to reduce disparities between the previous law and international child protection laws and standards

Tasked with probing cases handled by state institutions mandated to uphold child rights, the commission is also mandated to analyze and identify the root cause of “all forms” of violations against children.

During the event, themed “Celebrating a Decade of Difference”, First Lady Fazna Ahmed launched “Child Friendly Videos” prepared in reference to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, presented by ARC in association with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

In addition, commemorative plaques were also presented to Corporate Ambassadors who worked with ARC in the previous year.