President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has today appointed Ms. Niumaath Shafeeg as the new Child Rights Ombudsperson, in accordance with Article 113 of the Child Rights Protection Act. Ms Shafeeg was presented with her letter of appointment by President Solih at a special ceremony held this morning at the President's Office.

An experienced child rights advocate, Ms. Shafeeg has for many year worked to promote the welfare and interests of children. She previously served as the UNICEF National Consultant for the Health Protection Agency (HPA), and as an Education Development Officer Coordinator for the National Institute of Education. Further, she worked as a part-time lecturer at Villa College, Maldives National University (MNU) and Islamic University of Maldives (IUM). She continues to volunteer as Chief Commissioner of the Maldives’ Girl Guides’ Association.

Ms Shafeeg completed her International Masters in Early Childhood from Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway. Previously she had completed her Bachelors of Early Childhood from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Furthermore, she had previously obtained a diploma in Preschool Teaching from Visaka Nursery and Training in Sri Lanka.

The Child Rights Ombudsperson’s duties will include overseeing all matters related to children’s rights and welfare, and assessing government compliance with the provisions of the Child Rights Protection Act.