Madagascar

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

26.9 million

World Bank, 2019

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

Same sex acts are not illegal in Madagascar. However, since 1999, article 331 sets the age of consent at 14 for different-sex sexual acts and 21 for same-sex.The country has no protections for SGM persons which is why is LGBT scene is largely underground and potentially the reason why there is hardly any research done in the country outside an HIV/AIDS context.A 2011 report by the US Department of State states that there exists general societal discrimination against the LGBT community in Madagascar. This may either stem from the fact that sexual orientation and gender identity are not widely discussed or from the fact that local NGOs that work with the LGBT community do so in a health capacity, effectively equating SGM populations with disease. Either way, LGBT individuals are often the target of verbal abuse or even physical violence.There is evidence of an activist culture in Madagascar. Gay pride awareness has increased in recent years and the Association des Gays et Lesbienne de Madagascar NGO serves LGBT individuals in the country. The group does not have a prominent online presence.

Madagascar's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
No
Broad Protections
No
Criminalization of Violence
No
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
Yes
Gender
Does Not Apply
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
Does Not Apply

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Raberahona, M., Lidamahasolo, Z., Andriamamonjisoa, J. et al. Knowledge, attitudes, perception and practices regarding antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected adults in Antananarivo, Madagascar: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Health Serv Res 19, 341 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4173-3
 
Rahamefy, O. H., Rivard, M., Ravaoarinoro, M., Ranaivoharisoa, L., Rasamindrakotroka, A. I., & Morrisset, R. (2008). Sexual behaviour and condom use among university students in Madagascar. SAHARA-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS5(1), 28-35. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/saharaj/article/view/30138
 
Reuter PR, McGinnis S, Reuter KE. 2018. Comparing the awareness of and beliefs in sexually transmitted infections among university students in Madagascar and the United States of America. PeerJ 6:e4362 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4362
 
Seth Palmer; Asexual Inverts and Sexual Perverts: Locating the Sarimbavy of Madagascar within Fin-de-Siècle Sexological Theories. TSQ 1 August 2014; 1 (3): 368–386. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-2685642
 
United States Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011: Madagascar. Retrieved from https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/186425.pdf