Prosecutor General Al-Ustaz Abbas Shareef spoke at the opening of the National Juvenile Justice Conference 2025, drawing attention to the urgent need for enhanced cooperation among Government Ministries and agencies to fortify the juvenile justice system in the Maldives.

In his keynote address, the Prosecutor General acknowledged the dedicated efforts of institutions such as the Police Service, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Ministry of Social and Family Development while pointing out that the absence of coordinated action continues to undermine comprehensive support for juvenile cases.

He observed that many Government entities remain confined to their respective mandates, resulting in a fragmented and inefficient service landscape. Employing a striking metaphor, Uz Abbas likened each institution’s independent initiatives to custom-tailored garments, individually well-crafted, but collectively incoherent without harmonisation into a single, unified design.

Calling for a paradigm shift, Uz Abbas advocated moving away from siloed operations towards a more integrated, cross-sectoral framework. He emphasised that true child protection is only attainable when institutions collaborate across structural boundaries and align their efforts toward common goals.

Echoing this appeal, UNICEF Representative to the Maldives, Dr Edward Addai, stressed that the well-being of children must be viewed as fundamental to the stability of families and the broader development of the nation. He affirmed that meaningful and sustained national progress hinges on placing children’s rights and interests at the heart of collective action by all relevant stakeholders.

The National Juvenile Justice Conference 2025 aims to craft practical, evidence-driven responses to the structural and operational challenges confronting the juvenile justice sector. The event brings together 16 specialised agencies, including the Prosecutor General’s Office, UNICEF, the Maldives Police Service, and a range of educational and social institutions. An additional 11 organisations are participating as observers.

The overarching objective of the conference is to catalyse a more collaborative, science-informed transformation of the juvenile justice system, one that guarantees consistent, holistic support for every child, irrespective of the agency providing it.