Human rights in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

are protected under the national constitution. However, the extent to which such rights are reflected in practice is subject to debate. The 2009 Human Rights Report by the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

noted concerns regarding the suspension of democratic electoral processes as the result of recent political unrest.2009 U.S Dept of State Human Rights Report: Madagascar
/ref> Furthermore, reports of corruption,

arbitrary arrest Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of ...

and

child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

highlight the prevalence of human rights issues in the country.

Constitution and statutory responses

The Constitution of Madagascar was adopted in 2010. It addresses the notion of

universal suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stan ...

, individual rights and the freedom of speech. Laws regarding a minimum age for employment as well as the prohibition of child labor were passed.

International treaties

Madagascar's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows:

Issues

Censorship

Accusations of media

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

have risen due to the alleged restrictions on the coverage of government opposition. During the leadership conflict, Ravalomanana ordered the closure of "Viva TV", which was owned by his opponent, Rajoelina.

Equality

Women's suffrage was officially recognized in 1959. However

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...

and human trafficking continues to be an issue in society.

Legal system

The existence of key legal principles such as the rule of law and due process, is in question due to the increase in arbitrary and politically motivated arrests during the leadership conflict. In December 2014, the ''

List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor The ''List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor'' is an annual publication issued by the United States Government’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor. It has been published within the December 2014 D ...

'' indicated that children in Madagascar engaged in three activities, namely vanilla production, stone quarrying, and sapphire mining.

Poverty

The people of

are afflicted by extreme levels and rates of poverty. As of 2005, the Eastern coast of the country had astoundingly high poverty rates of around 80% while urban areas are just over 50%. Over 20% of the population lived on under $11.25 per day and over 80% of the population on under $15.00 per day as of 2010. The country has seen major improvements in

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

rates. Generally, a correlation exists between literacy rates and poverty. Should the progress in increasing the number of literate Madagascans continue, poverty rates should begin to decline respectively.

Historical situation

The following chart shows Madagascar's ratings since 1972 in the

Freedom in the World ''Freedom in the World'' is a yearly survey and report by the U.S.-based non-governmental organization Freedom House that measures the degree of civil liberties and political rights in every nation and significant related and disputed territori ...

reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "free"; 7, "not free".

Notes

:1.Note that the "Year" signifies the "Year covered". Therefore the information for the year marked 2008 is from the report published in 2009, and so on. :2.As of 1 January. :3.The 1982 report covers 1981 and the first half of 1982, and the following 1984 report covers the second half of 1982 and the whole of 1983. In the interest of simplicity, these two aberrant "year and a half" reports have been split into three year-long reports through interpolation.

References

External links

2022 Annual Report
by Amnesty International
Freedom in the World 2023 Report
by Freedom House
Human rights in Madagascar on OHCHR website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Human Rights In Madagascar

Politics of Madagascar