In a landmark ruling, a court in Madagascar has ordered surgical castration for a man convicted of raping and attempting to murder a six-year-old girl.
This is the first case in which the new punishment, introduced in 2024, has been applied on the island nation.
The incident took place in Imerintsiatosika, a town located around 30 kilometers from the capital, Antananarivo.
The man was found guilty of committing the violent assault against the young girl and was sentenced to life in prison with hard labour, alongside the castration procedure.
The sentence follows the introduction of a law passed in 2024 aimed at tackling the high number of sexual violence cases against children aged 10 and under.
Authorities in Madagascar say the law was brought in response to repeated instances of such crimes in recent years.
The justice ministry released a video statement confirming the sentence, which combines life imprisonment and surgical castration.
According to officials, the decision reflects a stronger legal stance against crimes targeting young children.
Surgical castration has also been used in a few other countries, including Germany and the Czech Republic, but typically with the offender’s consent.
In the United States, Louisiana was the first state to approve surgical castration as a punishment for child sex crimes.
Chemical castration, a reversible form of punishment involving drug treatment, is more widely used in countries like South Korea, Poland, and in some U.S. states. The UK has also debated introducing it.
However, human rights groups remain opposed to both types of castration, raising concerns about ethics and long-term effectiveness.
They stress the need for better support for survivors, protection from retaliation, and broader efforts to prevent abuse.