Download the full press statement in English
18 December 2025:
The undersigned organizations express deep concern over the President’s public remarks as well as the subsequent announcement by the Maldives Police Service to stop and question as well as inspect migrants found outside between 12:00 am and 6:00 am. This measure is unjustified, discriminatory in nature, and raises serious constitutional and human rights concerns.
The measure targeted at a specific group implies a blanket restriction on freedom of movement and constitutes a blatant violation of constitutional guarantees and international human rights standards. It instils fear among migrants and the wider public, fuels xenophobic attitudes, and poses a significant threat to the rule of law.
The Maldivian Constitution guarantees that all persons are equal before the law and expressly prohibits discrimination. Public measures that single out one group for collective suspicion fundamentally undermine these principles and weaken legal protection for all.
Public safety concerns must be addressed through lawful, evidence-based, and targeted measures. Broad and arbitrary actions from government authorities that fuel xenophobia against a specific community fails the tests of necessity and proportionality required under both domestic and international law. Such approaches risk normalizing discriminatory enforcement practices rather than addressing legitimate safety concerns.
The series of recent changes and measures introduced by the government affecting migrant workers will result in increased xenophobia, exclusion, profiling, and fear, leaving migrants even more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and harassment. The exploitation of migrants in the Maldives is already well documented and includes wage theft, passport confiscation, unsafe and inhumane working conditions, exclusion from minimum wage protections and significant barriers to accessing justice.
Migrants must not be framed as a security threat. The State has a duty to protect the rights and dignity of all individuals within its jurisdiction. This requires strengthening labour protections, enforcing accountability against abusive employers and other violators, and ensuring accessible and effective remedies for those whose rights are violated. We call on the government to:
- Ensure that all public safety measures fully uphold constitutional guarantees, human rights standards, and the dignity of all who live and work in the Maldives.
- Prioritise the protection of migrants and migrant workers by addressing systemic exploitation, ensuring effective labour safeguards, and guaranteeing access to justice without fear of retaliation or discrimination.
We also call on the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) and the Attorney General’s Office to
- urgently review recent measures, assess its legality and adherence with constitutional protections and international human rights obligations, and take appropriate action to prevent discriminatory enforcement and abuse of human rights.
– ENDS –
- Transparency Maldives (TM)
- Equal Rights Initiative (ERI)
- Mission for Migrant Workers Maldives (MMWM)
- Public Interest Law Centre (PILC)
- Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM)
Joint Press Statement 18 December (2)