President Abdulla Yameen has assured his administration’s commitment to empowering women, and said the state of women’s rights in the Maldives can potentially be exemplary.

In a speech he gave in commemoration of international women’s day and after handed 2017’s Rehendhi Award, an annual state recognition of women who contribute to society, he also noted that 56 percent of employees in the civil sector and that 70 percent of the National University comprises of women.

He further commended female students’ performance in secondary education.

President Yameen said that despite considerable participation in academia, women involvement in public office and corporate leadership is low.

“When we talk about women’s rights, we must prioritize equality on fronts” he said, citing Maldives’ commitment to the United Nation’s CEDAW (Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women).

He highlighted women’s ‘protected status’ in Islam, and called on the public to defend the rights of women in every way they can.

“It is the responsibility of us men to protect the women in our families” he added.

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives had released a statement on Wednesday that stated that there was a significant amount of complaints over domestic violence in 2016.

Read More: HRCM notes complaints over violence against women