Human rights in Madagascar
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Human rights in Madagascar are protected under the country's 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 noted concerns regarding the suspension of democratic electoral processes as the result of recent political unrest.[1] Furthermore, reports of corruption, arbitrary arrest and child labor highlight the prevalence of human rights issues in the country.[1][2]
Contents
Constitution and statutory responses
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Adopted in 1992, the Constitution of Madagascar addresses the notion of universal suffrage, individual rights and the freedom of speech.[3]
Laws regarding a minimum age for employment as well as the prohibition of child labor were passed.[1]
International treaties
Madagascar's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows:
Issues
Censorship
Accusations of media censorship have risen due to the alleged restrictions on the coverage of government opposition.[24] During the leadership conflict, Ravalomanana ordered the closure of "Viva TV", which was owned by his opponent, Rajoelina.[1]
Equality
Women's suffrage was officially recognized in 1959.[25] However violence against women and human trafficking continues to be an issue in society[1]
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 in the after In December 2014, the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor indicated that children in Madagascar engaged in 3 activities namely vanilla production, stone quarrying, and sapphire mining.
Historical situation
The following chart shows Madagascar's ratings since 1972 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "free"; 7, "not free".[26]1
| Historical ratings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Political Rights | Civil Liberties | Status | Head of State2 |
| 1972 | 5 | 3 | Partly Free | Philibert Tsiranana |
| 1973 | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | Gabriel Ramanantsoa |
| 1974 | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | Gabriel Ramanantsoa |
| 1975 | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | Gabriel Ramanantsoa |
| 1976 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1977 | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1978 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1979 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1980 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1981 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 19823 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1983 | 5 | 6 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1984 | 5 | 6 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1985 | 5 | 6 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1986 | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1987 | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1988 | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1989 | 5 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1990 | 4 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1991 | 4 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1992 | 4 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1993 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1994 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Albert Zafy |
| 1995 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Albert Zafy |
| 1996 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Albert Zafy |
| 1997 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Norbert Ratsirahonana |
| 1998 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 1999 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 2000 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 2001 | 2 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 2002 | 3 | 4 | Partly Free | Didier Ratsiraka |
| 2003 | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | Marc Ravalomanana |
| 2004 | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | Marc Ravalomanana |
| 2005 | 3 | 3 | Partly Free | Marc Ravalomanana |
| 2006 | 4 | 3 | Partly Free | Marc Ravalomanana |
| 2007 | 4 | 3 | Partly Free | Marc Ravalomanana |
| 2008 | 4 | 3 | Partly Free | Marc Ravalomanana |
| 2009 | 6 | 4 | Partly Free | Marc Ravalomanana |
| 2010 | 6 | 4 | Partly Free | Andry Rajoelina |
| 2011 | 6 | 4 | Partly Free | Andry Rajoelina |
See also
- Human trafficking in Madagascar
- Internet censorship and surveillance in Madagascar
- LGBT rights in Madagascar
- Politics of Madagascar
- 2006 Malagasy coup d'état attempt
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 , 2009 U.S Dept of State Human Rights Report: Madagascar
- ↑ Lawson H, Bertucci M.L, Encyclopedia of human rights, Taylor & Francis, 1996. p.978
- ↑ Peter J. Schraeder. "Constitution and Institutions of Governance". Madagascar: A country study (Helen Chapin Metz, ed.). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (August 1994).
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- ↑ Madagascar: Media Under Attack One Month After New President Installed, allafrica.com
- ↑ Women's Suffrage, ipu.org
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