The government has mandated a risk assessment to be conducted on children returning from conflict zones within 20 days after they are remanded.
As per the revised regulation on special procedures followed on individuals returning from conflict zones, all children under the age of 15 brought back from conflict zones must be remanded and undergo a risk assessment within the first 20 days. However, children under the age of three would not be required to undergo an assessment.
Furthermore, the regulation states if the assessment concludes that the child is required to undergo certain programmes, they must remain in remand until the completion of the programme. The regulation also allows the children to meet their parents in the presence of an official from the remand centre or another allocated individual, if such a meeting would not cause any harm to the children.
Earlier this month, Maldives Police Service (MPS) conducted a risk-assessment on a Maldivian family brought back from a foreign conflict zone. The family, consisting of a woman and her four children, left the Maldives in 2013 to join a foreign conflict and was repatriated after they sought help. They are currently being held at the National Reintegration Centre in accordance with the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Ministry of Home Affairs stated women and children who are victims of violence have legal protection under Maldivian law and regulations of international organisations, and therefore, revealing the identities of the family members will violate their legal rights. The ministry stated it will prioritise national security and the safety of citizens when conducting its work to repatriate Maldivians from foreign conflict zones. It also stated that the repatriated individuals will undergo rehabilitation and be made into productive members of society, in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations.