Combating child labour in Madagascar: a strengthened commitment with the support of ILO and UNICEF

Antananarivo, 22 April 2025 – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF reiterate their commitment by signing a memorandum of understanding to support the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Civil Service in developing the National Action Plan to Combat Child Labour – Phase 2, in the presence of the Minister of Labour, Employment and the Civil Service.

According to estimates by ILO in 2017, 152 million children (girls - 42 per cent; 58 per cent -boys) are affected by this scourge worldwide. In Madagascar, 47 per cent of children aged 5 to 17 work, often in conditions that are dangerous and inappropriate for their age and healthy development. The regions of Haute Matsiatra (65 per cent) and Androy (62 per cent) are particularly affected (MICS 2018).

In 2018, by agreeing to be a Pathfinder Country of Alliance 8.7, a global coalition aiming to eradicate child labour in all its forms, Madagascar took up the challenge of going beyond the existing programmes and, above all, of modernising its institutional and legal arsenal.

Since the adoption of the first version of the National Action Plan in 2004, significant progress has been made, notably through amending national legislation and the institutionalisation of Regional Committees to Combat Child Labour. In 2022, the Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that Madagascar accelerate the adoption of a new national plan to combat child labour and redouble its efforts to end child labour, in particular by raising public awareness and increasing the number of labour inspectors. This initiative is fully in line with the promotion of human capital, one of the pillars of the State's General Policy.

In partnership with ILO and UNICEF, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Civil Service adopted the new law No. 2024-014 of 14 August 2024 on the Labour Code, extending the powers of the Labour Inspectorate to the informal sector and domestic work, where child labour is on the rise.

Despite these efforts, child labour remains a reality in many sectors in Madagascar and was exacerbated by the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the Durban Call to Action, a document adopted at the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, held in Durban, South Africa, in 2022, and SDG 8.7, it is therefore crucial to intensify efforts and accompany Madagascar with a realistic, multi-stakeholder strategy. It is in this context that the new National Action Plan to Combat Child Labour for 2025-2040 is being developed.