Social and Family Ministry accused of forcing employee to resign

Aishath Shooza, a senior staff member of the Social and Family Development Ministry has come forward, accusing the Ministry's leadership of differentiating, and creating a hostile working environment which forced her to resign.

A video circulating on social media shows Shooza, former head of the Guraidhoo Centre for People with Special Needs and a Director at the Ministry, speaking at a meeting for senior ministry employees.

Reports say that the meeting was held regarding the Ministry's "elderly department" being moved over to the Health Ministry's mandate.

Shooza, who joined the Ministry in 2007 as a Counsellor Trainee back when it was known as the Gender Ministry, said in the video that the Ministry interfered with her work for no reason

"By December 2023, without any valid reason, I was stripped of all my duties, removed from the committees I was a part of at the Ministry, and even removed as HOD (head of department) and banned from entering the ministry's senior staff meetings, [subsequently] being transferred as a regular case worker," Shooza said.

"I requested an appointment to clarify [why this happened] without any excuse, without any reason. I didn't even get an appointment."

Shooza also said that the ministry mandated to protect the rights of women, children and the vulnerable, had violated her rights and caused her psychological harm.

According to Shooza, she is not the only one subjected to this treatment. Several other employees of the Ministry are also in a similar plight, she said.

According to Shooza, she was forcibly expelled from the ministry.

When asked by Mihaaru news, the Ministry said that the Elderly Department and all employees there are being transferred to the Ministry of Health as per President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's decision.

"Those employees work very closely with the service provision and case management of the centre for people with special needs established in Guraidhoo. Since the department's staff were most involved in the work, shifting the Ministry so that the employees remain doing the work will ensure continued services of the centre," the Ministry further said.

The Ministry also responded to Shooza's claims.

"No employee has been terminated with this decision, and no such coercion has also been exerted on any staff," the Ministry said.

With the elderly department transferred to the Health Ministry, Minister Dr Aishath Shiham coordinated with Health Ministry's leadership and arranged the department's employees to be able to work from Hulhumalé as per their request, the Ministry also detailed.

The Ministry also highlighted that this is not the first time the elderly department has been transferred to the Health Ministry.