Attorney General's Office

Important Legislations

Act No: 9/2014 (Penal Code of the Maldives)

Act No: 12/2016 (Criminal Procedure Act)

Criminal Procedure Code and information regarding the CRPC can be accessed from this link.

Office for Civil Rights

Information regarding the Office for Civil Rights

Legal Aid

Information regarding how to access Legal Aid

 National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up (NMIRF)

The Maldives National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up (“NMIRF”) is the national standing structure mandated to coordinate and prepare national reports, and engage with international and regional human rights mechanisms, including the United Nations (“UN”) human rights treaty bodies, special procedures and the Universal Periodic Review (“UPR”). The mechanism also coordinates and tracks the implementation of Maldives’ international human rights obligations and recommendations issued by various international human rights mechanisms.

The Maldives NMIRF performs these functions in coordination with Ministries, various Government agencies, the Parliament and the Judiciary, as well as in consultation with independent State institutions, the National Human Rights Institution (“NHRI”) and civil society organisations (“CSOs”).

The mechanism was initially established on 5th November 2020, by the President. At the time of its establishment, the mechanism had two functions; ‘reporting’ and ‘following-up’ on Maldives’ international human rights obligations. However, taking into consideration the changes required to improve the functions of the national mechanism and to include the function of monitoring implementation efforts, the mechanism was restructured and renamed as the Maldives National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up on 30th October 2022.

The Secretariat of this mechanism is the Attorney General’s Office. The NMIRF Steering Committee consists of the President’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

International Human Rights Conventions

Maldives has ratified 8 out of the 9 core human rights conventions, and multiple optional protocols.

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

Convention <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/convention-on-the-elimination-of-all-forms-of-racial-discrimination">Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination</a>
State report <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/state-report">Fifth to twelfth periodic reports</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/state-report">Thirteenth to fifteenth periodic reports</a>
Concluding Observations <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/concluding-observations-concluding-observations-to-fifth-to-twelfth-periodic-report">Concluding Observations to Fifth to Twelfth periodic report</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/concluding-observations-concluding-observations-to-fifth-to-twelfth-periodic-report">Concluding Observations to Third and Fourth periodic report</a>

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Convention <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-convention">Convention on the rights of the child</a>
Optional Protocol <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-optional-protocol">Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-optional-protocol">Concluding observations on optional protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the involvement of children in armed conflict</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-optional-protocol">Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-optional-protocol">Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure</a>
State Report <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-state-report">Third and fourth periodic report</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-state-report">Sixth and seventh periodic report</a>
Concluding Observations <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-concluding-observations">Concluding observations on the initial report</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crc-concluding-observations">Concluding observations on the combined second and third periodic report Concluding observations on the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports</a>

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

Convention <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cedaw-convention">Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women</a>
Optional Protocol <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cedaw-optional-protocol">Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women</a>
State report <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cedaw-state-report">Sixth periodic report</a>
Concluding observations <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cedaw-concluding-observations">Concluding observations on the initial report Concluding observations on the combined second and third periodic report Concluding observations on the combined fourth and fifth periodic report Concluding observations on the sixth periodic report</a>

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)

Convention <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cat-convention">Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment</a>
Optional Protocol <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cat-optional-protocol">Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment</a>
State Report <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cat-state-report">Initial report</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cat-state-report">Government’s follow-up report submitted under CAT</a>
Concluding Observations <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/cat-concluding-observations">Concluding Observations on the initial report</a>

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

Convention <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/icescr-convention">International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights</a>
Optional Protocol <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/icescr-optional-protocol">Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights</a>

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

Convention <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/iccpr-convention">International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights</a>
Optional Protocol <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/iccpr-optional-protocol">Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights</a>
State Report <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/iccpr-state-report">Initial Report Second periodic report</a>
Concluding Observations <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/iccpr-concluding-observations">Concluding observations on the initial periodic report Concluding Observations on the Second Periodic Report</a>

International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

Convention <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/ced-convention">Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance</a>

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

Convention <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crpd-convention">Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities</a>
State Report <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/crpd-state-report">Initial report</a>

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

The UPR is a State-driven process which involves a review of the human rights record of all UN Member States. The process provides the States under review with the opportunity to declare actions taken to improve the human rights situations in their respective countries and allows fellow Member States to provide commendations for these actions and constructive recommendations on how the States can further fulfill their human rights obligations.

The UPR mechanism is designed to give equal treatment to every country when their human rights situation is assessed, with the objective of improving human rights situations in all countries.

In this regard Maldives has participated in the Universal Periodic Review 3 (three) times.

First Cycle <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/upr-first-cycle">UPR National Report – First Cycle</a> <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/upr-first-cycle">Report of the Working Group – First Cycle</a>
Second Cycle <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/upr-second-cycle">UPR National Report – Second Cycle Report of the Working Group – Second Cycle</a>
Third Cycle <a href="https://beta.agoffice.gov.mv/en/downloads/upr-third-cycle">UPR National Report – Third Cycle Report of the Working Group – Third Cycle</a>

Awareness