Thwarting of child rights: how the children are oppressed under sexual abuse in Madagascar

Last updated on February 21st, 2022 at 04:20 am

East Africa – United Nations appointed human rights experts have said children are preyed upon and are sexually abused in Madagascar’s tourism hotspots. On Thursday the experts said addressing to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, how crucial it is for the authorities to take action and protect children and young adults in Madagascar from child prostitution and other rights violations. The experts noted a majority of children in the country are forced into sex for money practice in order to survive.

The Geneva based expert panel has urged the government of Madagascar to address and tackle this humanitarian crisis by strengthening multilateral, regional and bilateral accords, through which sex tourism can be prevented. The recommendations by the panel followed review of the country’s rights which had committed in 2004 of eradicating all violence against children. This included exploitation and sexual abuse against the children.

Submitting it’s report to the panel, the civil society group ECPAT International, explained that child prostitution “has become trivialized in Madagascar and is conducted openly in bars, nightclubs, massage salons and hotel establishments”. ECPAT International has added that the main force that is pushing the children into this practice is widespread poverty. The circumstances are so dire and desperate that many families push their children into the prostitution, mainly girls. But recent years have also seen increased number of boys being victims to the practice. The group added that while according to latest data from 2017, more than 250,000 tourists visited Madagascar, the majority of child abusers were citizens of the island country.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a body of 18 experts who are Independent. This body monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its State parties. It further monitors implementation of two Optional Protocols to the Convention, “on involvement of children in armed conflict and on sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography”.