Madagascar – 31 October 2014

The Fight Against Exploitation Of Underage Domestic Workers In Madagascar
Madagascar, an Island off the south-east coast of Africa, is one of the nations that has ratified the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) core conventions on child labor, including Convention No. 138 regarding the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment and Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labor in order to provide the framework necessary to end child domestic labor
Approximately 17.2 million children around the world perform paid or unpaid domestic work for third parties or for an employer. Among them, 67.1% are girls between the ages of 5 and 17. In commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated on October 11, AWID interviewed Noro Ravaozanany, President of the Conseil National des Femmes de Madagascar (National Women’s Council of Madagascar) to identify the issues and challenges related to the fight against underage domestic labor in Madagascar.
Thomson Reuters Foundation

Ban Urges Respect of Democratic Institutions as Former President Returns
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today rejected remarks made by former President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, challenging the legitimacy of his country’s democratic institutions.
In a statement delivered by UN spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General noted the former President’s 13 October return to Madagascar from South Africa, where he had been living since 2009, and stressed the “imperative of respecting the legitimacy of the democratically-elected Government and the rule of law.”
AllAfrican.com