- Abortion legal status
- Illegal
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: travelsafe-abroad.com, travelladies.app
Good to know
Good to Know
- Emergency contraception exists legally in the Maldives but is not dependable to find at a random pharmacy counter — travelers who may need it should expect to see a doctor (resort doctor or a Malé clinic/hospital) rather than assuming walk-in pharmacy access, and consider carrying a supply if that matters to your trip.
- If you're on a resort island (which is most tourist accommodation), your resort/tour operator is usually the fastest first point of contact after an assault — they can arrange transport toward Malé and connect you with police and medical care.
- The national emergency contact number is 119 (or 332 2111/2112 for the Malé police line) — save it before you need it, since connectivity and local knowledge vary a lot island to island.
- Confidentiality protections exist for reporting sexual offences, and English-speaking police officers are described as available nationwide, which can ease reporting for foreign visitors.
- Legal abortion in the Maldives is essentially limited to married women with a certified medical reason (life risk, thalassaemia, or major fetal anomaly) and requires spousal or guardian consent — there is no abortion-on-request option at any stage of pregnancy.
- Unmarried women cannot obtain a legal abortion in the Maldives under any circumstance; if you are an unmarried nomad facing this situation, plan on needing to travel abroad for safe, legal care.
- Buying abortion pills from unauthorized sellers or online in the Maldives is illegal and risky — counterfeit or fake medication and lack of medical supervision are common, documented problems.
- For routine gynaecological care (check-ups, contraception, STI screening), both private hospitals (ADK) and the public referral hospital (IGMH) in Malé have dedicated OB/GYN departments; private care is generally faster to book as a foreigner.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Resort Islands vs. Local Islands
Harassment is reported as virtually unheard of on resort islands, which are self-contained and generally considered a very controlled environment for women traveling alone. On local islands and in Malé itself, dressing modestly is described as both respectful and a way to reduce unwanted attention, since the culture there is more conservative than on resort properties.
Street Harassment
In Malé, women are generally treated respectfully, but occasional staring or comments are documented, particularly toward women not dressed conservatively; serious crimes against tourists are described as rare. One traveler account specifically noted feeling stared at on a local island until dressing more conservatively.
Walking Alone at Night
Resorts are consistently described as very safe after dark. In Malé and Hulhumalé, multiple sources advise against walking alone at night in unfamiliar or quiet streets and isolated waterfronts, recommending arranged transport instead of wandering. On smaller local islands away from the capital, some solo female travelers report feeling comfortable walking in the evening, but this varies by island.
Taxis
One safety assessment of Malé rates taxis as reasonably safe for returning to a hotel late at night, but specifically advises that women are better off not taking a taxi alone and should avoid driving in a taxi solo. Arranging transport in advance, rather than hailing on the street late at night, is the more commonly recommended approach.
Practical Precautions
Commonly repeated advice for women includes dressing modestly away from designated tourist beaches and resort areas, choosing well-reviewed accommodation with reliable transfers, keeping valuables out of sight in busy areas like Malé's streets and terminals, and avoiding isolated side streets or waterfronts after dark.
Abortion Law
- Summary
- Abortion is prohibited in the Maldives except under narrow certified medical grounds; there is no abortion on request at any pregnancy stage.
- Penalties
- Performing an unauthorized abortion, or self-inducing one, is a criminal offense under the Penal Code, carrying potential imprisonment for the woman, any person who assists, and loss of medical license for practitioners involved.
- Legal Basis
- Governed primarily by the Maldives Penal Code (2014) together with the 1975 Law on the Practice of Human Medicine; Maldivian law is a combination of statutory and Islamic (Shari'a) jurisprudence.
- Legal Status
- illegal
- Abortion Time Limit
- Where permitted on medical grounds other than life-threat, the limit is 120 days (roughly 17 weeks) of pregnancy; procedures after 120 days require certification by doctors even in permitted cases.
- Consent Requirements
- A woman seeking a legal abortion needs her husband's authorization; if the spouse is unavailable, consent from a parent or guardian is required instead. Procedures must be approved by a gynecologist along with a specialist physician confirming the medical necessity.
- Access For Unmarried Women
- Unmarried women and girls cannot access a legal abortion in the Maldives under any circumstance, since the legal grounds are tied to a marital pregnancy and spousal consent.
- Harm Reduction Note
- Self-sourcing abortion pills (mifepristone/misoprostol) from unauthorized/online sellers in the Maldives is illegal, unregulated, and carries a real risk of counterfeit or ineffective product as well as criminal liability; anyone facing this decision should seek certified medical guidance rather than an unverified vendor.
Permitted Grounds
- Risk to the woman's life (no abortion time limit specified for this ground)
- Diagnosed thalassaemia in the fetus, up to 120 days of pregnancy
- Major congenital fetal anomalies, up to 120 days of pregnancy
Access Routes And Realities
- Legal, in-country abortion is realistically only accessible to married women with a qualifying medical diagnosis (thalassaemia, major fetal anomaly) or life-threatening condition, certified by a gynecologist and an approving specialist physician.
- Because legal access is so restricted, some women resort to unauthorized/illegal abortion pills or unlicensed providers, which carry serious safety risks including incomplete abortion and undetected ectopic pregnancy.
- Given these restrictions, many women travel abroad (medical tourism, commonly to India, where abortion law is far less restrictive) to access a safe, legal abortion — this is a well-documented workaround rather than an in-country legal option.
Named OB-GYN Options In Male
ADK Hospital – Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Type
- Private hospital
- Location
- Malé city center
- Services
- Maternity/antenatal-to-postnatal clinic with ultrasound and fetal heart monitoring, general gynaecology (infections, fibroids, ovarian cysts, cervical issues), infertility clinic, and contraceptive services.
Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) – Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Type
- Government-owned tertiary multi-specialty hospital
- Location
- Malé city center
- Services
- Public-sector OB/GYN consultants; the main government referral hospital for the Maldives.
Medica Maldives – Gynaecology & Obstetrics Clinic
- Type
- Private clinic
- Location
- Malé
- Services
- Multiple listed gynecologist/obstetrician consultants for general women's health consultations.
Emergency Contacts
Police / General Emergency (Maldives Police Service)
- Number
- 119 or 332 2111 / 332 2112
- Notes
- The Maldives Police Service directs emergencies to this number nationally; the 332 21xx lines are the Malé-area police contact.
National Support Structures
Family Protection Authority (FPA)
- Description
- Established under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act with a mandate to raise public awareness, facilitate services to survivors, and coordinate with authorities on gender-based violence, including sexual violence.
- Note On Effectiveness
- Legal/rights-monitoring sources note the FPA's mandate has not been fully or effectively implemented in practice, and obstacles remain in accessing protection remedies.
- Name
- Maldives Police Service Victim Support Unit / Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services
- Description
- Named by legal-sector sources as the main government bodies handling reporting, medico-legal referral, and support for sexual offence victims, alongside NGOs.
Find A Helpline – Maldives
- Description
- An international directory (findahelpline.com/countries/mv) lists hotlines in Maldives that support victims of sexual abuse, domestic violence and emotional crisis; it does not consistently publish direct phone numbers, so checking the live directory at time of need is recommended rather than relying on a number printed in an app.
Contraception And Emergency Contraception
Regular Methods
- Pill IUD Implant
- The birth control pill, IUD and contraceptive implant are legal and provided through the public/private healthcare system (hospitals and clinics) rather than sold freely over the counter at pharmacies; obtaining any of these in practice generally requires a doctor's consultation.
- Confidence Note
- Independent, current documentation specifically on IUD/implant availability and stocking in the Maldives is thin.
Emergency Contraception
- Legal Status
- Emergency contraceptive pills are not banned, but they are not reliably available over the counter. Multiple traveler reports describe pharmacies in Malé being unable to identify or sell EC pills without a doctor's prescription and an in-person medical visit.
- Awareness Data
- An older (2009) national survey found that about 29% of reproductive-age women in the Maldives were aware emergency contraception existed, and only 0.6% had ever used it — indicating historically low uptake even where legally permitted.
- Practical Guidance
- Given inconsistent pharmacy stocking, travelers needing EC have had to see a doctor (including on resort islands, via the resort's on-call doctor, or by travelling to Malé) to obtain it, rather than walking into a pharmacy.
Legal Framework
- Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Description
- Sexual offences (rape, sexual assault, harassment, child sexual abuse) are addressed under Maldives' Sexual Offences Act, which sets out reporting procedures, victim protection measures, and compensation provisions, alongside a 2015 Penal Code that expanded the legal framework.
Process For Foreign Visitors And Resort Guests
- First Steps
- UK government guidance for victims in the Maldives states you can contact the local emergency number (119 / 332 2111), your tour operator/resort if travelling with one, or your embassy/consulate.
- Confidentiality
- Reporting guidance notes a victim will be expected to give a statement but is protected by confidentiality if anonymity is preferred, and English-speaking officers (male and female) are stated to be available nationwide.
- Resort Specific
- Because most tourism happens on resort islands separate from Malé, a tour operator or resort management is typically the first point of contact and may arrange transport/accompaniment to the nearest hospital or police point.
- Medical And Legal
- Hospital treatment and initial forensic/medico-legal tests connected to a reported assault are paid for by the Maldives Police Service; the Ministry of Health has issued medico-legal reporting guidelines and a standard exam form used across health institutes in Malé and the atolls for assault, gender-based violence and related cases.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Maldives
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.