A focus on the issues underlying cases XY and P !

Let’s have a look at madam X’s case.

How was she before the incident/s?
She was an apparently healthy, happy woman without any eccentric behaviours.
Did something happen to her?
Physical abuse, sexual abuse in other words, she was subjected to rape several times.
What help did she receive?
None. There was no one to offer her help.
How did she cope?
I don’t think she was able to cope with these incidents. She had to mimic ‘MAD’ behaviours as understood by the people of our society so that they will be so scared of her that people will not dare to come close to her….this was the only way she thought she could cope with.
So what are the issues involved?
There are several issues involved here. First, victims of rape, sexual abuse, incest, domestic violence, find it hard to come and report it to the concerned authorities. But we find that our law enforcement agencies and media are much more sensitive to these issues than it was before, perhaps this was not the case at the time when it happened to Madam X. However, I think the NGO’S and the government agencies involved can increase the level of psychological support that is provided to these victims. Early intervention is necessary and victims need to have greater access to these NGO’S through 24 hr helpline etc,
Another issue which is briefly reflected through this case is that we are yet to understand the level of stigma and discrimination attached to mental illness in the Maldives. I also feel we have our own cultural interpretation or understanding of ‘mental illnesses. There is a need to do research in the area of mental health in the Maldives. There is a need to create awareness about mental illness in the Maldives.

Let’s have a look at master Y’s case.

How was he before the incident/s? He was a normal, happy boy.
Did something happen to him?
Yes. Sexual abuse, repeatedly. We also had to examine whether he suffered from psychotic symptoms as he could have been reporting these behaviours due to early onset of a psychotic illness.
What help did he receive? Early intervention in the form of psychotherapy and supportive work for family. He did not receive any medication at any point of time in treatment.
How did he cope after the intervention? He appears to be coping fairly well.
So what are the issues involved?
Luckily, our government and NGO’S are very active in this area now and there are several ‘rights’ organisations working at different levels to deal with this problem and all that’s really very welcoming.
Master Y’s case also highlights several important underlying social issues.
Why did the mother have to come to Male? Need for better education, better health, better life which she believed she can get only if she came to Male. This is a core issue.
She and her son had to live like domestic slaves in a jammed room. The child was made a forced partner in the sexual behaviours of irresponsible adults with whom they were forced to live with. Housing problem is the other core issue here.
The mother was a single parent who had no one to assist her financially or otherwise. What sort of help is offered to women in her position by the state? She had to leave her minor in such an environment and take up/ one / two jobs to get enough to eat and have a roof over her head. Poverty is the other issue here, lack of adequate support to women in her situation is a core issue here.
Further, due to the lack of mental health experts in the country (even I am still undergoing training and still have a long way to go…at least that’s what I believe) the interventions made in the country, often produces little result. We need properly trained experts who are specialised in this area to deal with problems such as this.

Let’s have a look at master P’s case.

Master P’s case is different from the previous two cases.
However, like in Master Y’s case I can see the colours of poverty and housing issues along with some more worrying phenomena.
As far as I believe they are in a way the street children of Maldives. They wake up to go to school, come back from school and live on the streets until nightfall and go back home only to sleep. They are exposed to the evils of the streets and have become street smart. Yet, they are children , minors, the “vultures’ can attack them at any time, they are easy prey. If we wish drug abuse to stop from spreading the way it is now, we have to nip things in the bud. We have to have programmes (not mere slogans to shout and t shirts to wear, ) to deal with these significant issues. For example, we have to take these kids off the streets, we have to help them have a family life, their mother to cook healthy meals, offer them tender loving care etc…so much more…!We have to address the bigger issues such as housing, overcrowding in Male', poverty,..etc stigma towards the mentally ill and those who return from drug rehabilitation, discrimination..etc etc....and unless this is done it will indeed be very difficult to see any quality in the average Maldivians life in decades to come.