Prostitution in Madagascar: children under 18 at high risk

Groupe Developpement Madagascar (Madagascar Development Group), known as GDM, carries on its ongoing investigation regarding the prostitution of children in Madagascar. As indicated by the result of its recent investigation conducted in the northern part of the country, namely in Mahajanga and Nosy Be, children under the age of 18 are exposed to high risk as regard to prostitution. Actually, according to GDM’s report, children in these localities start to prostitute themselves as early as 8 years old. 

Prostitution in those two regions of Madagascar concerns both boys and girls under 18. Typically, children under 18 do prostitution in the evening and at night, which is the reverse of what happens in the capital. According to investigation, the cost of each sexual act can range from 3 000 to 10 000 MGA. But sometimes, children may also choose special customers, mostly foreigners, who are ready to pay from 40 000 up to 200 000 MGA per sexual act. In most cases, the reasons pushing children under 18 to resort to prostitution are economic hardships, family problems, orphanage, and dropping out of school.