The Malagasy Parliament voted this week to toughen the sentences imposed on perpetrators of child rape. In addition to the penalties of forced labor which are equivalent to prison, chemical or even surgical castration is now part of the sentences that the judge can pronounce.
A decision taken to “ fight against the increase in rapes on the island ”, explains the Minister of Justice, Landy Randriamanantenasoa. The text arouses controversy, particularly among human rights defenders who believe it poses a legal and ethical problem.