What the Policy provides
- Who is covered. All direct employees, and also third-party workers, contractors, sub-contractors, consultants, suppliers, labour providers, recruitment agencies and service providers acting for the University. It covers procurement, outsourcing, construction, maintenance, research, fieldwork and partnership activities, and both domestic and international recruitment.
- Guiding principles. All work is voluntary. Children are protected from economic exploitation under Article 35 of the Constitution. Deceptive recruitment is not tolerated. Every worker has the right to dignity, freedom of movement and fair treatment. People who report concerns in good faith are protected from retaliation. Recruitment is transparent, lawful and free from exploitative fees.
- Clear definitions. The Policy defines forced labour as in Section 5 of the Employment Act, and defines modern slavery (including debt bondage and servitude), human trafficking, child labour, hazardous work and unlawful recruitment fees. It lists indicators of exploitation, such as withholding of passports, excessive overtime beyond legal limits, substandard contractor housing and recruitment fee deductions from pay.
- No forced labour or modern slavery. No one may be compelled to work through threats, intimidation, document confiscation, unlawful wage withholding, violence, restriction of movement, abuse of vulnerability, immigration-related coercion, debt bondage or other unlawful pressure.
- Documents and freedom. The University and its representatives may not unlawfully confiscate or retain passports, work permits, identity cards or personal documents. Any temporary handling for a lawful administrative purpose is limited, documented where possible and followed by prompt return. Workers are not confined to workplaces, accommodation or campuses, are free to leave employment in line with the law and their contract, and are not charged unlawful recruitment fees or made to repay unlawful debts.
- No child labour. The University maintains age-verification procedures. It does not employ anyone under 16 for any purpose. Young persons aged 16 to 18 are limited to light work, with written parental consent, appropriate supervision and protection, and no one under 18 does hazardous work.
- Contractors and suppliers. Service contracts include an Ethics and Labour Compliance Clause. High-risk contractors or sectors may face enhanced due diligence. Contractors found to be engaged in forced labour, trafficking, unlawful recruitment, child labour or other exploitation may be suspended, have their contracts terminated, be excluded from future tenders or be referred to the authorities.
- Suspected cases, such as passport retention or debt bondage, are reported to the Director of Human Resources and handled confidentially and fairly where possible. No one may be penalised, threatened, intimidated, dismissed or deported for reporting a concern in good faith.
- Further routes. Employment-related complaints that are not resolved internally may be taken to the Employment Tribunal under the Employment Act.
- Referral to the police. Confirmed cases are reported to the Maldives Police Service within 24 hours.
- Where exploitation is identified, the University takes reasonable steps to support remediation, protection, corrective action and contractor accountability, using victim-centred approaches where possible.
- Oversight and review. The Department of Human Resources and Procurement administers the Policy. The Human Resources Management Committee oversees implementation and compliance trends, serious breaches may be escalated to the Audit and Risk Committee, training and awareness may be provided periodically, and the Policy is reviewed every two years.
Our practice before the 2026 policy
Maldives National University is a public university established by the Maldives National University Act (Law No. 3/2011). Its employment and engagement practices have been conducted in compliance with the laws and regulations that apply to the public sector. Forced labour is prohibited under Section 5 of the Employment Act (Act No. 2/2008), which also sets the minimum age for employment, and human trafficking is a criminal offence under the Anti-Human Trafficking Act, Act No. 12/2013, passed by Parliament in December 2013. Its procurement follows the MNU Procurement Policy with the Public Finance Act. It recruits expatriate staff under the Regulation on Employment of Expatriates (2023/R-111, replaced by 2025/R-120 in December 2025) and the Immigration Act (Act No. 1/2007), and applies the Policy on Expatriate Staff Welfare, which keeps staff free of recruitment costs and in possession of their own passports.
Legal framework
The Constitution of the Maldives (Article 35), the Employment Act (Act No. 2/2008), the Anti-Human Trafficking Act (Act No. 12/2013), the Immigration Act (Act No. 1/2007) and the Regulation on Employment of Expatriates.
Related Pages and Policies
Sources
Policy owner: Human Resources and the Procurement Office. Approved by the University Council; in effect from 27 October 2026.
