Investing in social protection to reduce child labour and improve child well-being
n the mica villages in the South of Madagascar - Advocacy paper
- Available in:
- Français
- English
Highlights
Over 11,000 children are estimated to be exploited in the mica sector in Madagascar under harsh and unsafe conditions.. While poverty is widespread in the country, which is at the bottom of the main global development rankings, the extreme conditions under which these children and their families live and work have called the attention of the public and the authorities of Madagascar and beyond. Indeed, since a 2019 Report by “Terre des Hommes and Somo (SOMO, 2019)” shed light on this situation, it has been widely denounced by media actors, such as the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and condemned by institutions such as the European Parliament. The markets of the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) have responded to international calls and now avoid purchasing mica from Madagascar. Madagascar and its international partners are committed to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2030 Agenda. They all agree on the need to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate child labour in the mica mines of Madagascar and other industries. They all share concern on children kept out of school under such unhealthy conditions and at such a scale and agree that this perpetuates intergenerational poverty and undermines any development strategy for Madagascar.
