A court in Madagascar has sentenced a man to surgical castration for raping a child, marking the first time the punishment has been applied in the country, a judicial official said on Thursday.

The case involved the rape and attempted murder of a six-year-old girl in Imerintsiatosika, about 30 km west of the capital, Antananarivo.

Didier Razafindralambo, attorney general at the Court of Appeal, confirmed the ruling in a video statement shared by the Ministry of Justice.

Tribune Online gathered that the sentence follows a 2024 law introduced in Madagascar targeting cases of child rape involving victims aged 10 and under.

Authorities said the law was introduced in response to a rise in such cases reported to the courts.

“The person prosecuted in this case was sentenced by the Court to life imprisonment with hard labour, accompanied by castration,

“Today’s decision is a strong and significant response from the justice system, intended also to serve as a warning to anyone with similar malicious intentions,” Razafindralambo added.

According to Reuters, surgical castration has previously been used in countries like the Czech Republic and Germany, but only with the defendant’s consent. In 2023, Louisiana became the first U.S. state to mandate the procedure for some sex offences involving minors.

Chemical castration, which involves ongoing drug treatment and is reversible, has been introduced in several U.S. states and countries such as Poland and South Korea.

The UK is currently considering its use, Reuters reports.

Human rights organisations have criticised both practices, arguing that they are unethical. They say efforts should instead focus on supporting survivors, ensuring their protection, and improving prevention. (Saturday Tribune, excluding headline)