Two men have been convicted and sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a woman and three children under the age of 18, after claiming to perform Ruqya. The Criminal Court delivered the verdicts on Wednesday for offences committed on multiple occasions in 2020.
The defendants, Ismail Waheed of Mirihimaage, R. Kandholhudhoo, and Mohamed Aseel of Dilsaduage, R. Kandholhudhoo, were charged on December 30, 2020. The court found them guilty on all 12 counts.
Mohamed Aseel received the longest sentence. He was convicted of intentionally touching a child with sexual intent and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was also sentenced to seven years for committing sexual acts in the presence of a child with the intent or belief that the child would witness the act.
He received additional sentences for the following offences:  
Sexual assault – three years  
Exploitation of a child – three years  
Unauthorized detention – one year, seven months and six days  
Assault – two months and 12 days  
Inappropriate touching – one month and six days
In total, Aseel was sentenced to 25 years, 10 months and 24 days in prison.
The second defendant, Ismail Waheed, was convicted of child neglect and failing to report exploitation of a child, and sentenced to five years. He was also convicted of:  
Unauthorized detention – one year, seven months and six days  
Inappropriate touching – one month and six days  
Inappropriate touching – one month and six days
His total sentence amounts to six years, nine months and 18 days.
Child sexual abuse remains a significant concern in the Maldives, with authorities warning that many cases go unreported. At a press conference on Tuesday, police said reports of child sexual abuse had increased and urged the public to report such cases without delay.