[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

MADAGASCAR (Tier 2 Watch List) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report

The Government of Madagascar does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. These efforts included identifying and providing services to more victims; launching an updated NAP to combat trafficking; making efforts to reduce the demand for child sex tourism; providing support for returning Malagasy migrant workers, including trafficking victims; and partnering with an international organization to conduct a monitoring visit to observe Malagasy migrant workers’ conditions in Jordan. However, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, even considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity. The government investigated fewer trafficking cases and did not report prosecuting or convicting any suspected traffickers for the second consecutive year. Despite sustained concerns of official complicity in trafficking crimes, the government did not hold any complicit officials accountable or investigate reports of officials facilitating child sex trafficking within the country or labor trafficking of Malagasy workers abroad. For the third consecutive year, the government did not disburse funds allocated to the National Office to Combat Human Trafficking (BNLTEH), hindering nation-wide progress and coordination. Overall, efforts to investigate and prosecute internal trafficking crimes, including domestic servitude, forced begging, and child sex trafficking, remained inadequate compared to the scale of the problem, and officials continued to frequently conflate human trafficking with other crimes including gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Therefore Madagascar remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive yea.

Prioritized Recommendations

Increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, including complicit officials and perpetrators of internal trafficking crimes, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

Systematically and proactively identify trafficking victims by screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations, including child laborers, women exploited in commercial sex, returning Malagasy migrant workers, and People’s Republic of China (PRC) nationals employed at worksites affiliated with the PRC’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Refer all identified trafficking victims to appropriate protection services, including victims of internal trafficking, such as domestic servitude, forced begging, and child sex trafficking, as well as migrant workers and PRC national overseas workers.

Amend the 2014 anti-trafficking law to ensure the penalties prescribed for adult sex trafficking are commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape and/or kidnapping.

Disburse funding allocated for anti-trafficking activities, including for BNLTEH operations and implementation of the 2023-2025 NAP.

Institutionalize and expand anti-trafficking training for front-line officials on the indicators of trafficking, victim-centered and trauma-informed trafficking investigations, and the use of SOPs for the identification and referral of victims to appropriate services.

Strengthen the partnership between police and prosecutors to more efficiently and effectively prosecute trafficking cases, including regular case conferencing and training on proper evidence gathering.

Implement and consistently enforce strong regulations and oversight of labor recruitment companies, including by eliminating recruitment fees charged to migrant workers and holding fraudulent labor recruiters criminally accountable.

Improve the national identification system, including establishing a database and anti-fraud features, to prevent child sex trafficking and reduce trafficking vulnerabilities of overseas Malagasy workers based on issuance of fraudulent documentation.

Improve nationwide data collection on anti-trafficking law enforcement and victim identification efforts, including information sharing among relevant government agencies.

Conduct community-level outreach campaigns to raise public awareness of all forms of trafficking, particularly child sex trafficking in tourist destinations.