UNICEF launches a survey to gather young people’s views on the situation of girls in Madagascar

Friday, 11 October 2024 – On the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child, on 11 October, UNICEF launches a survey among young people about the situation of adolescent girls and young women in Madagascar through the platform “U-Report”. Youth views will be collected through three sets of eight questions addressing topics such as gender equality, awareness of girls' rights or priorities in the implementation of these rights.

In fact, in Madagascar, girls represent more than half of the population under 20 years old estimated at over 18 million and constitute almost 22 per cent of the female population in the country. However, they are at a significant disadvantage compared to boys and men in many areas, such as getting married earlier or having difficulty accessing quality education. According to the latest statistics, nearly 71 per cent of girls drop out of school because of early marriage (compared with only 28 per cent for boys), and only 15 per cent of girls finish high school compared with 16 per cent for boys.[1]

Investing in girls, however, improves the living conditions of children and the population at large. For UNICEF, there are three main priorities: promoting the health and nutrition of adolescent girls, including their mental health and also the right to reproductive health; promoting their right to quality education and to develop life-skills (self-affirmation, communication, negotiation, etc.); and finally protecting adolescent girls from all forms of violence, exploitation and sexual abuse. As a reminder, 11.5 per cent of girls and women aged 15 to 19 in Madagascar have experienced some form of sexual violence[2].

The U-Report survey will thus allow all, boys and girls, to share their views on these three points. The results will provide valuable information to inform UNICEF, government and other partners' activities and programmes for girls and better promote their rights.

By sending a free SMS to 301, all young people can access the questionnaire on the U-Report platform, which now brings together nearly 30,000 young people between 14 and 35 years of age, more than half of whom are women.

Note that UNICEF is also supporting the celebration of International Day of the Girl in Mahajanga, organized by the regional youth platform, Tafavori. A conference debate is held to discuss the employability of young people or violence against girls. 

[1] MICS6 - Madagascar - Education (unicef.org)

[2] Madagascar DHS 2021 - Final Report [FR376] (dhsprogram.com)