Violence toward women: more widespread in Madagascar than anywhere else

Violence toward women is a universal phenomenon and happens in the daily life of every household. However, appalling figures have shown that violence based on gender (VBG) is more widespread in Madagascar than in any other countries.

In fact, surveys showed that 32% of Malagasy women from 15 to 49 of age think that men have the right to beat their wife or female companion. Surveys also showed that violence toward women in Madagascar appears in different forms. These include physical violence (26%), psychological and emotional violence (24%), desertion of the marital home (39%), and sexual violence (11%).

As part of the celebration of the day dedicated to battling violence toward women, various organizations, NGOS, civil societies, along with the United Nations are performing a 16 days activism campaign to fight against violence perpetrated toward women which was officially launched on Saturday, November 24, in Bemasoandro-Itaosy under the theme: “For the protection of human rights, let’s battle violence toward women”. The campaign is taking place in 14 districts where grievance reception and legal counseling centers are established. Its main objectives are to raise public awareness concerning the negative effects of the violence based on gender (VBG) on the society, and to urge the authorities to take actions to bring the phenomenon to an end.