1 in 3 women in the Maldives has experienced physical or sexual violence. In many cases, these women are reluctant to report it due to fear of retaliation, social stigma, and lack of access to support services.
Safaath Ahmed decided to work for the betterment of her country. She founded Women and Democracy (W&D) to advocate for women in the Maldives, give them a voice and protect them.
“My dream is to empower Maldivian women and girls to reach to their fullest potential.“
Safaath Ahmed
W&D helps women in the Maldives who experience gender-based violence. The organisation provides gender-based violence interventions, as well as safety and well-being services, such as health, psychosocial and legal support.
In addition, W&D works towards women’s economic and political participation for good democratic governance in the Maldives.
W&D is among nineteen organisations that are currently enrolled on the Youth Ventures Programme (YVP). Through the YVP, QCT provides youth-led organisations with flexible funding, practical tools and technical support, and access to a global network of young leaders for 2+ years.
With QCT’s support since March 2022, W&D has been able to:
Offer psychosocial support to 155 women victims of violence.
Provide pro-bono legal advice and representation to 126 women and girls who experienced violence.
Expanded its helpline operations, increasing the number of women supported.
Strengthened systems and processes – with improvements to business planning, financial management, governance and risk management.
“With QCT’s support we assist over 300+ women and girls annually, who are experiencing all forms of violence and in such unfortunate circumstances (through our established helpline). We provide free and confidential information, advice, advocacy and support for women and girls affected by any form of gendered violence and abuse. Due to this we are able to make a lasting impact in their lives, as we provide survivors with lifesaving services such access to psychosocial services, legal aid, and safe spaces in Maldives (in partnership with the QCT)”.
Safaath Ahmed Zahir
Future work supported by QCT in 2023:
Establish a “One-stop Centre” for helping women experiencing violence to offer a more responsive alternative to that offered by the current government referral system.
Click below to watch W&D’s video
