Country Briefing Paper Women in the Republic of Maldives APRIL 2001 Abbreviations ADB – Asian Development Bank AEC – atoll education center CEDAW – Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women COS – country operational strategy CPR – contraceptive prevalence rate CSP – countyr strategy program DMC – developing member country DPH – Department of Public Health ESA – external support agency FFA – Framework for Action GAD – gender and development GCE O/L – General Certificate of Education – Ordinary Level GCE A/L – General Certificate of Education – Advanced Level GDI – Gender Development Index GDP – gross domestic product HDI – Human Development Index HDR – Human Development Report IDC – island development committee IMR – infant mortality rate ISA – initial social assessment IWC – island women’s committee LFPR – labor force participation rate MMR – maternal mortality rate MOH – Ministry of Health MPND – Ministry of Planning and National Development MWASS – Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Secuirty NGO – nongovernment organization SEC – Science Education Center SHE – Society for Health Education SSS – Southern Secondary School TA – technical assistance TBA – traditional birth attendant TFR – total fertility rate UN – United Nations UNDP – United Nations Development Programme UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund UNIFEM – United Nations Development Fund for Women WHO – World Health Organization WID – women in development Note: In this Report, “$” refers to US dollars. Preface Recognizing the significance of addressing gender and poverty concerns in the developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Office of Environment and Social Development has prepared a series of briefing papers on gender and development, in partnership with the relevant Programs Departments and national governments. The papers provide information as well as strategic directions to gender and development interventions in a particular country. This Country Briefing Paper on Women in the Republic of Maldives was prepared by Rekha Dayal, Social Development Expert, with the support of a national consultant, S.M. Didi, an Education and Development Expert. Soo-Nam Oh of the Programs Department (West) managed the task with the guidance and support of Shireen Lateef, Team Leader, Gender and Development, and Sri W. Handayani, Social Development Specialist, both from the Office of Environment and Social Development of ADB. This report is an outcome of extensive literature search and rigorous analysis of current secondary data, as well as participatory assessments with atoll administrations, women’s development committees and two stakeholder workshops in Malé. The workshop participants included representatives from the Government, United Nation agencies, NGOs, the private sector and other key institutions in the Maldives. The two events contributed significantly to the formulation of the Framework for Action that will be implemented by ADB and the Government of the in partnership with other development agencies in the Maldives. The interpretations and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the author and should not be attributed to ADB. Acknowledgments We would like to thank the ADB team of Soo-Nam Oh, Shireen Lateef and Sri W. Handayani for giving us the opportunity to prepare this Country Briefing Paper on Women in the Republic of Maldives. The paper has built extensively on secondary data generated by various government departments and external support agencies, particularly the UN System including UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNV and WHO. Their contribution, as well as the overall support to the initiative, is greatly appreciated. We would like to acknowledge the important contributions of the Government of the Republic of Maldives, especially Mr. Adam Maniku, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the focal point for ADB operations, for providing all the necessary logistic support during the mission. Further, we would like to thank the Deputy Minister, Ministry of Planning and National Development, Mr. Hamdun A. Hameed, and the Deputy Minister, Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Security, Ms. Aneesa Ahmed, for their valuable time, insight and support. We are grateful to Mr. Mohamed Shahir, Mr. Firushan and Ms. Shifana of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury for their untiring attention to small details in planning and executing the workshops and in organizing the island visits. The preparation of this document benefited significantly from the contributions of participants at the Inception meeting on 9 August 2000 and subsequently the Action Planning Workshop on 20 August 2000. Officials from various ministries, UN agencies and other institutions in Malé, as well as the island administrators and women’s development committee members included in the List of Persons Consulted (Appendix 3) contributed to the thought process and directions of the paper. We would like to record our thanks to each one of them and apologize if, inadvertently, we missed any name. Rekha Dayal S.M. Didi Contents Abbreviations ii Preface iii Acknowledgment iv Executive Summary ix Chapter 1 – Introduction 1 Chapter 2 – Overall Features and Trends in Development 5 History and Cultural Setting 5 Political and Administrative System 6 Population and Demography 7 Trends in Population Growth 7 Population Density 8 Economic and Growth Trends 10 Human Resource Development 12 The UNDP Human Development Index and Gender Development Index 12 Impact of Development on the Environment 13 Chapter 3 – Social Status of Women 15 Demographic Characteristics 15 Health Indices for Women 15 High Fertility Rates 15 Positive Attitudes to Birth Control 17 Infant and Child Health 19 Personnel Constraints in Health Services 21 Food and Nutrition 23 Nutritional Status 23 Vitamin A Status 24 Feeding Status of Infants and Young Children 24 Constraints and Action Plan for the Future 24 Public Health 27 HIV and AIDS 27 Drug Abuse 28 Drinking Water and Sanitation Facilities 28 Sanitation 29 Education and Training Facilities 30 Literacy Rates 30 Primary and Secondary Education 31 Nonformal Education 34 Educational Attainment 34 Education Sector Personnel 35 Legal Rights and the Political Status of Women 36 Chapter 4 – Women and the Economic Environment 39 Employment and Work – General Trends 39 Women in the Civil Service 41 Poverty Indicators 42 Chapter 5 – Culture and Gender 45 Traditional Social Structure 45 Traditional Status of Women and the Gender Division of Labor 45 Female Sexuality and Marriage 47 Female-Headed Households 48 Chapter 6 – WID-Related Government Policies, Programs 49 and Institutions National Machinery for Women’s Affairs 49 Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Security 50 Gender Equality Council 50 Island Women’s Committees 51 Women’s Development Centers 51 Chapter 7 – Partners in Development: The UN System, 53 Bilateral Agencies and NGOs The United Nations System 53 United Nations Development Programme 54 United Nations Population Fund 54 United Nations Children’s Fund 55 World Health Organization 56 The World Bank 56 Islamic Development Bank 56 Bilateral Donors 56 Donor Coordination 57 NGOs and the Private Sector 57 NGO Constraints 58 Leading NGOs 59 Chapter 8 – ADB’s Gender Strategy and Program 61 ADB and the Maldives: A Decade of Planned Cooperation 61 Operational Approaches 62 Macroeconomic and Sector Work 62 Loans and Technical Assistance 62 Opportunities for Gender and Poverty: The Current ADB Portfolio, 62 2000-2003 Key Elements of the ADB Gender Strategy in the Maldives 64 Towards Gender Equity in the Maldives: A Framework for Action 2002-2003 65 Identifying Actors and Assigning Responsibilities 65 Addressing the Strategic Needs of Women 67 Addressing the Practical Needs of Women 71 Other Opportunities for ADB Assistance 75 The Way Forward and Priority Activities 75 Joint Action by the Government and ADB 75 Specific Actions at National Level 76 Specific Actions at ADB Level 76 Bibliography 77 Tables 1: Maldives at a Glance 4 2: Indicators Related to ICPD Goals 10 3: Composition of GDP, 1991-1997 11 4: Comparative Indicators for HDI, GDI and GEM 13 5: Life Expectancy at Birth, 1990-1995 6: Number of Live Births by Age of Mother 15 7: Contraceptive User Rate by Atoll, 1996-1998 16 8: Contraceptive User Rate, 1992-1998 18 9: IMR per 1,000 Live Births, 1991-1998 19 10: Under-5 Mortality Rate per 1,000 Live Births, 1991-1998 20 11: Age-Specific Mortality Rate per 10,000 Live Births, 1995-1998 20 12: Vaccine Coverage, 1991-1998 21 13: Health Personnel in Private Sector Outlets by Locals 21 and Expatriates, 1989-1998 22 14: Percentage of Under-5 Children with Under-Nutrition, by Age, 1996 15: Extent of Stunting and Wasting, 1998 24 16: Tuberculosis Situation, 1991-1998 26 17: Leprosy Incidence and Prevalence Rates, 1991-1998 27 18: HIV Surveillance, 1991-1998 27 19: Drug Abuse Cases Reported by Age, 1977-1998 28 20: Secondary School Enrollment in Atoll Schools 28 21: Upper Secondary Enrollment in Atoll for Females 32 22: Girls Taking GCE O-Level Exams 32 23: Girls Taking GCE A-Level Exams 33 24: Best 10 GCE O-Level and GCE A-Level Results 33 25: Admission Data for Science Education Centre, Malé, 1995-2000 33 26: Permanent Teachers Serving in School by Locality, 1998 34 27: Number of Teachers in 1999 36 28: Supervisors Trained under School-Based Supervision 36 Programs, 1994-1999 36 29: Heads and Management