OVER HOLS POLICE NIGHTMARE
Relaxed law swept away by tsunami
Maldives capital Male. But the nightmare followed her as she realised she was now being named online. Cecilia believes this is because police revealed her identity to local media.
She said: “I was refreshing the news on my phone and then saw my full name appear. Seeing the footage everywhere just brought the memories of the violence flooding back.
“I was broken. I couldn’t eat or sleep for four days.”
In the Maldives it was reported that Cecilia had been arrested for “indecent exposure” and had been “under the influence of alcohol”.
There was more bad news from home. Cecilia, from London, said: “I got a call
THE Maldives’ approach to religion was considered quite relaxed until the Boxing Day tsunami struck in 2004.
Commentators believe scholars convinced the country the disaster was a punishment for not practising the right kind of Islam.
In 2008 its constitution was changed to ensure all citizens must be Muslim. In 2014 the death penalty was reintroduced.
As well as bikinis, alcohol and sex outside marriage are banned away from the resorts – and anyone who breaks the rules can be publicly flogged.
The Foreign Office advises Brits to respect local traditions, customs, laws and religions. A spokesperson said: “You should be sensitive to local dress standards when on local islands.
“Cover your shoulders and avoid short or tight-fitting shorts.” from Dad, who said there were reporters at the door.
“I ended up turning my phone off. The police wanted to drag me through the press. They wanted to look as innocent as possible. In the clip you see me resisting arrest, but you don’t see I was physically assaulted.“
Cecilia, whose day-today work involves researching policy on women’s rights, insisted: “One thing I can say with absolute certainty is this would never happen to a man.
“Men can walk around topless without any consequences but women are objectified.”
Cecilia contacted the British embassy, which confirmed she had been right not to hand over her passport. She and Lucas flew back to the UK on Tuesday.
Police in the Maldives – which are visited by around 100,000 Brits a year – have issued a public apology to Cecilia.
The statement read: “Maldives Police Services sincerely apologises to the tourist and public for the regretful manner in which the incident took place.
“A full inquiry has been initiated to ensure that disproportionate measures are not implemented in such situations.”
But Cecilia said: “I’ve been completely dehumanised. I’m a confident woman and they wanted to take away my voice.”
Men can go about topless without any consequence. Women are objectified CECILIA DESCRIBING SEXUAL INEQUALITY IN THE MALDIVES