DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Madagascar
East Africa · Country law profile
Madagascar: women’s rights and civic space laws
Madagascar signed the Maputo Protocol in 2004 but, as of March 2026, is one of nine AU Member States that have not ratified it (ACHPR). It ratified CEDAW in 1989 and the ICCPR in 1971, and signed the Optional Protocol to CEDAW in 2000 without ratifying it. In 2025 Madagascar acceded to the Malabo Convention on cyber security (deposited 15/09/2025).
At a glance
| Capital | Antananarivo |
|---|---|
| Legal system | Civil law system based on French law, with customary law in some family and land matters |
| Official languages | Malagasy, French |
Key indicators
16.0% (26 of 163)Women in National Assembly (2026)
Regional and international treaties
| Treaty | Status | Reservations or notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maputo Protocol | signed 28/02/2004 / not ratified (one of nine AU Member States yet to ratify as of March 2026) | |
| CEDAW | signed 17/07/1980 / ratified 17/03/1989 | No reservations listed for Madagascar |
| CEDAW Optional Protocol | signed 07/09/2000 / not ratified | |
| African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child | signed 27/02/1992 / ratified 30/03/2005 / deposited 24/06/2005 | |
| ILO C190 (violence and harassment) | Not ratified (not in the list of ratifying States as of 2026) | |
| ILO C111 (discrimination in employment) | ratified 11/08/1961 | |
| ICCPR | signed 17/09/1969 / ratified 21/06/1971 | None listed |
| Kampala Convention | signed 24/06/2014 / not ratified | |
| AU Convention on Cyber Security (Malabo) | ratified or acceded 17/07/2025 / deposited 15/09/2025 | |
| Budapest Convention on cybercrime | Not a party or signatory (not listed) |
Constitution
| Constitution | Constitution of the Fourth Republic, 2010 (amended) |
|---|
National laws
Gender-based and domestic violence
Loi n° 2019-008 du 16 janvier 2020 relative à la lutte contre les violences basées sur le genre
Dedicated law on gender-based violence covering violence within couples and families, with an implementing decree adopted in 2022 (Décret n° 2022-1219).
Gaps: Civil society reports insufficient and unevenly distributed funding. It also reports weak enforcement and limited victim services, especially in rural areas.
Source: upr-info.org
Rape and sexual offences
Code pénal, article 332 (as amended by Loi n° 2000-021) and Loi n° 2019-008, article 6
Article 332 defines rape as any act of sexual penetration committed through violence, coercion, threat or surprise, and article 6 of the 2019 law expressly criminalises rape of a spouse or partner.
Gaps: Marital rape carries 2 to 5 years, lighter than the 5 to 10 years for other rape, and there are no rules shielding victims from questions on sexual history.
Source: ohchr.org
Rape and sexual offences
Loi n° 2024-001 modifiant et complétant certaines dispositions du Code pénal malagasy
Introduces chemical castration and, for rape of young children, surgical castration as penalties for child rape.
Gaps: Amnesty International has called for repeal of the castration penalties as cruel and degrading punishment.
Source: amnesty.org
Sexual harassment
Code pénal, article 333 bis, and Loi n° 2019-008, article 8
Article 333 bis punishes demands for sexual favours in exchange for employment benefits. The 2019 law punishes harassment seeking sexual favours with 1 to 3 years in prison. This covers repeated orders or threats. It also covers coercion.
Source: ohchr.org
Female genital mutilation
No specific law on female genital mutilation
No legislation specifically prohibiting FGM was identified in the national child protection framework.
Source: cdn.icmec.org
Child marriage and age of marriage
Loi n° 2007-022 du 20 août 2007 relative au mariage et aux régimes matrimoniaux
Sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 for both sexes, raised from 14 for girls.
Gaps: A court may authorise marriage below 18 with parental consent, and there is no explicit protection against forced marriage in this law.
Source: rf-efh.org
Harmful practices
Loi n° 2014-040 of 2014 on human trafficking, articles 10 and 11
Criminalises forcing a person into marriage through violence or coercion, and recruitment or trafficking for forced marriage.
Source: antislaverylaw.ac.uk
Family and personal status
Ordonnance n° 62-089 du 1er octobre 1962 (marriage), articles 8 and 53
Governs marriage; polygamy is prohibited under Malagasy law.
Gaps: Article 53 makes the husband head of the family, and article 8 imposes a 180-day waiting period on women only before remarriage.
Source: rf-efh.org
Family and personal status
Loi n° 61-025 du 9 octobre 1961 (civil status), article 60
Regulates civil status records.
Gaps: The family record book is issued to the husband only, and the wife obtains a copy only upon divorce.
Source: rf-efh.org
Inheritance and succession
Loi n° 68-012 du 4 juillet 1968 (successions)
Main succession law, applicable alongside customary practices.
Gaps: A 2021 parliamentary bill (Proposition de loi n° 002-2021/PL) sought to modernise it to affirm equality between men and women and raise the surviving spouse in the order of heirs.
Source: assemblee-nationale.mg
Land and property
Loi n° 90-014 du 20 juillet 1990 (matrimonial regimes)
Provides for equal division of marital property upon dissolution of marriage.
Gaps: Rural women often receive only one third of joint property (fahatelo-tanana) because the law is poorly enforced and little known.
Source: rf-efh.org
Land and property
Ordonnance n° 60-146 du 3 octobre 1960 (land rights)
Makes no distinction between women and men regarding land rights.
Gaps: Customary practices in some regions still deny women land through inheritance.
Source: rf-efh.org
Abortion and sexual and reproductive health
Code pénal, article 317
Criminalises abortion, with prison terms for women who consent and for providers, including professional suspension for medical staff.
Gaps: No legal ground permits abortion, including to save the woman’s life or after rape.
Source: abortion-policies.srhr.org
Abortion and sexual and reproductive health
Loi n° 2017-043 (sexual and reproductive health)
Guarantees universal access to contraceptive methods and requires regular budget allocations for family planning.
Source: rf-efh.org
Girls’ education
Loi n° 2004-004 du 26 juillet 2004 (education system)
Framework law on the education system; it bars recruitment of persons convicted of offences in educational institutions.
Gaps: No explicit legal provision on re-entry of pregnant schoolgirls was identified.
Source: cdn.icmec.org
Labour and maternity
Loi n° 2003-044 du 28 juillet 2004 portant Code du travail, article 64
Establishes equal access to employment and equal pay for men and women, and a common retirement age of 60 was set by Décret n° 2013-337.
Gaps: Several discriminatory provisions remain in labour legislation.
Source: rf-efh.org
Nationality
Loi n° 2016-038 du 27 février 2017 (nationality)
Allows Malagasy mothers to transmit nationality to their children on an equal basis with fathers.
Source: rf-efh.org
Trafficking
Loi n° 2014-040 of 2014 on human trafficking
Criminalises trafficking for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, debt bondage and forced labour.
Source: antislaverylaw.ac.uk
Online violence and cybercrime
Loi n° 2014-006 sur la lutte contre la cybercriminalité
Main law on cybercrime, covering offences committed through information systems.
Source: assemblee-nationale.mg
Data protection
Loi n° 2014-038 sur la protection des données à caractère personnel
Regulates the processing of personal data and protects individual privacy.
Source: digital.gov.mg
Women and girls with disabilities
Loi n° 97-044 du 2 février 1998 régissant les droits des personnes handicapées
Sets out rights of persons with disabilities in education, health, employment and social life, with six implementing orders.
Gaps: There is no sex-disaggregated data and no gender-specific protection for women and girls with disabilities.
Source: adry.up.ac.za
Older persons
No dedicated law on older persons
Older persons are served by a joint directorate for persons with disabilities and older persons.
Gaps: No specific legislation on the rights of older persons was identified.
Source: adry.up.ac.za
Vulnerable Groups
Code pénal, article 331
Same-sex relations between adults are not criminalised. Indecent or unnatural acts with a person of the same sex under 21 are punished by 2 to 5 years in prison.
Gaps: The age of consent is 21 for same-sex acts against 14 for different-sex acts.
Source: cdn.icmec.org
Human rights defenders
Loi n° 96-030 portant régime particulier des ONG (promulgated 14 August 1997)
Regulates NGOs. Madagascar has no specific law on human rights defenders.
Source: diplomatie.gov.mg
Social protection
Loi n° 2017-028 du 8 décembre 2017 relative à la politique nationale de protection sociale relative au régime non contributif
Framework law on non-contributory social protection.
Source: assemblee-nationale.mg
Access to justice and legal aid
No specific legal aid law
The Ministry of Justice launched a pro bono law clinic in July 2026.
Gaps: No law on legal aid.
Source: newsmada.com
Recent developments
- 15 September 2025. Madagascar deposits its instrument for the AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (ratification or accession dated 17/07/2025)
- March 2026. ACHPR lists Madagascar among nine AU Member States that have not ratified the Maputo Protocol
Reforms recommended
Reforms recommended by the African Commission, UN treaty bodies or national organisations, as reported in the sources below.
- Ratify the Maputo Protocol without reservations (ACHPR advocacy framework, 2026)
Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: political participation and quotas. Corrections and documents are welcome at programs@rflgd.org.
African Union treaties
Status of 29 African Union treaties as recorded in the official AU status lists published by the African Union Commission. The date of each list is shown: a ratification deposited after that date may not appear yet. 6 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.
| AU treaty | Status | AU list dated |
|---|---|---|
| Maputo Protocol (rights of women) | Signed 2004, not ratified | 19/09/2023 |
| African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights | Ratified 09/03/1992 | 15/06/2017 |
| African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child | Ratified 30/03/2005 | 14/02/2023 |
| Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights | Ratified 12/10/2021 | 14/02/2023 |
| African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance | Ratified 23/02/2017 | 08/07/2024 |
| AU Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls | Not signed | 22/05/2026 |
| Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | Not signed | 22/05/2026 |
| Protocol on the Rights of Older Persons | Not signed | 22/05/2026 |
| Protocol on Social Protection and Social Security | Not signed | 22/05/2026 |
| African Youth Charter | Signed 2014, not ratified | 19/09/2023 |
| OAU Refugee Convention | Signed 1969, not ratified | 16/05/2019 |
| AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption | Ratified 06/10/2004 | 14/02/2023 |
| AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo) | Ratified 17/07/2025 | 02/02/2026 |
Other AU treaties (16)
Sources (21)
- au.int · 37077 sl PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEO…
- treaties.un.org · iv 8.en
- treaties.un.org · iv 8 b.en
- au.int · 36804 sl AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE…
- whatconvention.org · 120
- treaties.un.org · IV 4.en
- au.int · 36846 sl AFRICAN UNION CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION AND …
- au.int · 29560 sl AFRICAN UNION CONVENTION ON CYBER SECURITY AND P…
- coe.int · parties observers
- achpr.au.int · lifting reservations maputo protocol eng
- upr-info.org · Conseil National des Femmes de Madagascar, UPR statement 2024
- ohchr.org · CSO submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women
- amnesty.org · Amnesty International, February 2024
- cdn.icmec.org · ICMEC Madagascar child protection legislation review, July 2025
- rf-efh.org · Réseau francophone pour l’égalité femme-homme, country sheet Madagascar
- antislaverylaw.ac.uk · Antislavery in Domestic Legislation: Madagascar
- assemblee-nationale.mg · Proposition de loi n° 002-2021/PL on successions
- abortion-policies.srhr.org · WHO Global Abortion Policies Database: Madagascar
- assemblee-nationale.mg · Loi n° 2014-006 (text)
- digital.gov.mg · Unité de Gouvernance Digitale: Loi n° 2014-038
- adry.up.ac.za · African Disability Rights Yearbook: Madagascar
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Information verified as of October 2026. This page is for information and advocacy and is not legal advice. Laws change: check the official text before relying on it. Part of the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center of the Women Leaders Network for Development (RFLD). See also the Maputo Protocol Hub and the Maputo Barometer.
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