Social Issues which Influence and Impact the Maldivian Society

Social Issues which Influence and Impact  the Maldivian Society   (Compiled based on fb/social media interactions/news headlines;2014 December)by Dr.Aishath Ali Naaz
1	Child Abuse/Incest and Rape
2	Issues related to bullying at school and work environment
3	Violence, aggression, gangs
4	Drug abuse
5	High Divorce rates and broken families
6	Urbanization and its impact; Male’ being the central island where all basic services are located
7	Inflation and how it is influencing the life style of the common man
8	Unattractive salaries and benefits to locals  employed in the private sector
9	Over crowding of Male’; congested living space, crowded  unsafe roads
10	Unemployed and unemployable youth
11	Politicians taking advantage of naïve and misinformed citizens
12	Difficulty in getting appointments with medical practitioners in hospitals in Male’ both in public and private hospitals and the difficulty in staying in queue for long hours for appointments
13	Loss of faith and trust in the judiciary
14	Religious scholars meddling with national politics creating confusion and chaos in the minds of citizens.
15	Inequality of income; in equal distribution of wealth and poverty
16	Neglecting of the aged and old parents; unresolved dilemmas of the aging population in the Maldives
17	Initiation of smoking by very young people
18	High level of sexual promiscuity and sexual deviations among the youth
19	Corruption at  all levels
20	Character assassinations of prominent persons, particularly those who enter politics
21	Disruption of religious unity; one section in extremist thought, others with secular thought etc
22	Lack of awareness of judicial rights and independence
23	Lack of awareness of gender equality
24	Increasing domestic violence, lack of awareness of spousal rights
25	Lack of awareness among youth that minor selling of drugs is the pathway to drug trafficking and organized crime
26	Lack of adequate extra curricular activities for school going child and out of school youth
27	Lack of awareness on deserved social welfare from the state to its deserving citizens
28	Loss of trust with public institutions
29	Corruptions linked to politicians
30	Developing racist attitude in Maldives for foreign laborers of South Asian Origin

It is left for us to do more social research in the above areas. Definitely we require more research, policy and plans to address these dilemmas which directly influence our society. This perhaps is not the most comprehensive list of social problems we face, neither is it presented in a hierarchy which can demonstrate which problem is more predominant over the other. For that, young people of Maldives, studying acorss the world, need to put their thinking caps on and begin to work. Your nation needs you , to address these and more challenges which has made our beautiful paradise one of the most horrendous places to live in. It is up to us to selflessly sacrifice and contribute to nation building. Happy new year....gift from me to all concerned citizens. In sha Allah in 2015 you will see me addressing these issues, either through write ups, research or other programs which I hope to bring to your attention.