A court in Madagascar has sentenced a man to life in prison with hard labour and surgical castration for the 2024 rape and attempted murder of a six-year-old girl, marking the first use of the country’s tough new penalties for crimes against young children.
Attorney General Didier Razafindralambo said the verdict was handed down this week in Imerintsiatosika, about 30 km west of the capital. In a video message released by the justice ministry, he called the decision “a strong and significant response” meant to deter would-be offenders.
Parliament introduced surgical castration last year for convictions involving victims aged ten or younger after courts reported a surge in such cases. While a handful of European countries have permitted the procedure for sex offenders who consent to it, Madagascar’s statute makes castration mandatory for the most serious child-rape convictions.
Internationally, several U.S. states and nations including Poland and South Korea use chemical castration—administering medications that suppress libido—as an alternative sanction. Human-rights groups, however, say both surgical and chemical methods raise ethical concerns and should not replace broader efforts to protect children, support survivors and prevent abuse.