A new law that will see paedophiles surgically castrated for their crimes was adopted by the parliament of Madagascar. The National Assembly of Madagascar passed a law on February 2 that made it lawful for child rapists to be castrated.

Only a few days ago, Kazakhstan unveiled a law akin to this one, stating that the nation’s worst juvenile sexual offenders will have their genitalia surgically removed.

According to the previous legislation, someone convicted of raping a minor could spend five to twenty years in forced labor. But according to this new rule, anyone found guilty of raping a child under the age of 10 will receive a life sentence and have their castration surgically performed. 

In contrast, if the victim is between the ages of ten and thirteen, they will undergo chemical castration and endure fifteen to twenty years of forced labor. Castration will not be applied to the rapist if they are also minors.

Landy Randriamanantenasoa, Minister of Justice, spoke in support of the bill. “Society must know what they did and who they are,” Ms. Randriamanantenasoa reportedly stated, according to the French-language publication Le Quotidien.

Andry Rajoelina, the president of Madagascar, made the measure a major campaign pledge when he ran for reelection last year. He proposed it last month.

Organizations around the world have condemned the new law. The BBC reports that in a statement, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, said: ‘In Madagascar, rape cases remain under-reported, and perpetrators often go free due to the victims’ and their families’ fear of retaliation, stigmatization, and a lack of trust in the judicial system.

‘Implementing chemical and surgical castration, which constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as a punishment for those found guilty of raping minors will not solve this and is inconsistent with Malagasy constitutional provisions against torture and other ill-treatment, as well as regional and international human rights standards.’

Ms. Randriamanantenasoa has refuted comparable criticism regarding the observance of human rights by asserting that Madagascar is an independent nation.  

Following MPs’ complaints that the current rule, which requires paedophiles to be chemically castrated, was not deterring child sex offenders, Kazakhstan revealed on February 6 its draft law to remove the genitals of perpetrators. 

Following the death of five-year-old Erkezhan Nurmakhan, who was tricked into going to the home of a paedophile after he paid her money for ice cream, the law has been tightened.

48-year-old Saidolim Gayibnazarov was given a life sentence and a chemical castration due to his prior offenses.

Igor Lepikha, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Interior Minister, described surgical castration as “controversial.”It’s a complex subject when it comes to ethics and the human aspect.

“In addition, we talk about life sentences for these offenders, so there’s no use in [castration] at that point.”