The private sector is a key player in promoting children’s rights in Madagascar

Antananarivo, 08 July 2024 - Madagascar’s companies demonstrate significant commitments to improving children’s living conditions through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This is one of the outcomes of the study on the impact of private sector activities on children’s rights, presented today by UNICEF Madagascar. This study – the first of its kind in the country – aims to raise awareness among companies about their crucial role in protecting and promoting children’s rights, while providing concrete recommendations for responsible commitment. The study focused on eight (8) key sectors including agriculture, textile and light industries, mining and oil, tourism, New Information and Telecommunications Technologies, buildings and public works, energy and finance.

The Corporate Social Responsibility in Madagascar prioritizes four main social sectors – essential for the well-being and development of children – including education, health, water, sanitation & hygiene and nutrition. 60 per cent of companies in Madagascar allocate a budget to CSR which varies from 12 million to more than 200 million Ariary.

Humanitarian practices are also prominently present through contributions to emergency situations. This is mainly the case for companies in the sectors of new technologies and communication, mining and agro-industry.

In the workplace, companies integrate policies on respect for human rights and children, especially those that are present on the international market. They also support vocational training activities, mainly in sectors requiring technical skills such as textiles, mining and information technology.

In 2012, UNICEF launched the Guiding Principles for Business in the area of children’s rights and business. This is a guide that brings together 10 principles for companies to promote children’s rights within their activities, especially in the workplace, the marketplace and in communities.

In these areas, the outcomes of the study show that the activities of economic operators in Madagascar involve some risks:

•        In the workplace, working conditions are generally good but do not always enable parents to fully assume their roles. This is reflected in the combination of tight working hours and the lack of policies and infrastructure to allow mothers to breastfeed at work. Less than 10 per cent of companies, apart from the textile sector, have a nursing area.

•        At the market level, specifically in the tourism sector, the risks of abuse and sexual exploitation must be taken into account. In the new technologies and communication sector, risks of exposure to inappropriate content, and the risks of online harassment and exploitation are the most striking.

•        At the community and environmental level, companies do not fully control the risks that may affect the health and safety of children living in the communities where they operate, especially in the mining sector.

UNICEF encourages companies to mitigate the risks entailed by their activities on children’s well-being, and to use this study as a guide to evaluate and improve their practices. “Resources, innovations and expertise of companies are essential to ensure that access to education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation become full rights for every child,” says Christine Jaulmes, UNICEF Representative to Madagascar.