Paedophile to be surgically castrated after raping 6-year-old girl

He has also been sentenced to life imprisonment

A convicted child rapist has been sentenced to be surgically castrated by a court in Madagascar.

The man was convicted of assaulting the child, and then attempting to murder her, in Imerintsiatosika, which is about 30km west of the island's capital Antananarivo.

Attorney general Didier Razafindralambo said the offender had also been given life imprisonment and hard labour.

"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," he said, via MailOnline.

In 2024, Madagascar introduced legislation to surgically castrate those who were guilty of raping children aged under 10 years old.

Surgical castration has been used in other countries previously, including Germany and Czechia, with the consent of the defendant.

In the US, Louisiana has recently become the first state to allow judges to order surgical castration for people found guilty of certain sex crimes against minors.

Surgical castration is irreversible, whereas chemical castration, which involves the use of drugs to block hormones, is usually reversible.

Human rights groups have expressed concerns over both practices, and said that efforts should focus on supporting abuse survivors and encouraging them to come forward instead.

Russia, South Kora and Poland all use chemical castration, with the UK also considering introducing the measure.

The government said they are looking at using medication to supress the sexual drive of sex offenders, with a pilot currently underway in southwest England.

Former justice secretary David Gauke told Sky News that the drugs that reduce sexual desire ‘will not be appropriate for every sexual offender’.

He said: “I’m not going to claim it’s the answer for everything. This is about reducing the risk of re-offending in future.

“There are some sex offenders who want to reduce their desires and if we can explore this, I think that is something that’s worthwhile.”