Madagascar’s parliament has approved a controversial piece of legislation that mandates the surgical castration of paedophiles convicted of raping minors.
This move echoes a recent development in Kazakhstan, where the government announced a similar measure targeting the most egregious offenders of child sexual abuse, who will undergo genital removal surgery.
On February 2, Madagascar’s National Assembly, sanctioned a law authorizing the castration of individuals found guilty of child rape. Under the previous legislation, perpetrators of such crimes faced sentences ranging from five to 20 years of forced labor.
However, under the new law, those convicted of raping children under the age of ten will undergo surgical castration and receive life imprisonment.
For victims aged between ten and 13, the punishment will entail chemical castration alongside a sentence of 15 to 20 years of forced labor. Minors found guilty of such crimes will be exempt from castration.
Minister of Justice, Landy Randriamanantenasoa, expressed support for the bill, as reported by the French-language newspaper Le Quotidien. According to Randriamanantenasoa, “Society must know what they did and who they are.”
The proposal for this legislation came from
The law was proposed by Madagascar’s President, Andry Rajoelina, last month. It was one of his key campaign promises during his re-election bid last year.
While the new law has drawn attention globally, it has also faced criticism from international organizations. Amnesty International, a prominent human rights group, has called for Madagascar to repeal the law, deeming it “cruel, inhuman, and degrading.”
