The car driven by capital city Male's only female taxi driver Aminath Waheed was severely vandalised in the late hours of Monday.
Maldives Police Service confirmed receiving reports that the windscreen of a car parked on Izzuddin Magu in the Male' was smashed.
Speaking to local media outlet Mihaaru, Aminath revealed that she had parked the car in the vicinity of the Drug Court on Monday at around 0830 hrs. She disclosed that the night watchman posted outside the court had told her that a group of individuals approached and damaged the vehicle after 0100 hrs. The man also informed the police of the incident.
Noting that this was the fifth time that her taxi vehicle was purposefully damaged, Aminath raised concern that the police have thus far failed to collect sufficient evidence to identify the vandals and penalize them.
However, she expressed hope that evidence could be retrieved from the footage captured by the CCTV camera's in the area.
She noted the possibility that the attack was carried out by her ex-husband or two particular male taxi drivers that habitually taunt and threaten her. Aiminath's former partner was allegedly behind the damages caused to her vehicle in April 2019.
Aminath called on the police and the general public to support her in achieving a solution to the repeated acts of vandalism, highlighting that the incidents exacerbated the difficulties she faced in earning a livelihood as a single mother.
Since 2017, when she started being active in the occupation, Aminath is known to be Male's only female taxi driver to operate in relation to taxi centres. Public ire continues to soar over the government's meagre record of arresting and convicting perpetrators of sexual offences despite several promises to support the rights of children and women.
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