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Expatriate arrested for sexual assault on 16-year-old

Sep 5, 2026, 12:17 PM

A foreign national was arrested yesterday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in a southern island.

Police said that a 42-year-old expatriate was taken into custody in connection with the incident, which occurred in a jurisdiction under the South Police Division. The matter is currently under investigation.

In a separate case last Thursday, a 41-year-old Maldivian man was arrested for the alleged sexual and physical abuse of a 13-year-old girl in a southern island.

According to police statistics, 185 cases of sexual offenses have been reported so far this year. The high prevalence of sexual crimes remains one of the most significant social issues in the Maldives.

Research conducted by UNICEF indicates that one in every three girls in the Maldives will experience sexual abuse at least once in her lifetime. Studies also show that 15 percent of all children in the country have fallen victim to sexual abuse.

Sexual Abuse UNICEF Maldives Child abuse Sexual Crime Police Foreign Workers

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