Survey shows high acceptance of mob justice in Madagascar

ANTANANARIVO, May 31 (Xinhua) -- About 41 percent of Malagasy people agree or strongly agree with the practice of mob justice, a survey conducted by the International Afrobarometer published on Thursday said.

The acceptance of mob justice is stronger in rural areas and stands at 43 percent, while it is 31 percent in urban areas. This practice is gaining momentum and tends to become a mode of operation in Malagasy society, the investigators said. The survey was conducted on a sample of 1,200 to 1,400 adults from January to March 2018.

Mob justice is considered as "justified" for the rape and zebus (Malagasy cattle) theft by respectively 44 percent and 40 percent of Malagasy people, the survey showed.

In Madagascar, "the dina" or community pacts, as a means of social regulation, are part of the daily life of 79 percent of households in rural areas and 55 percent in urban areas, the survey showed.

"Moreover, in Melaky region, in the south-west of the country, about half of the inhabitants confirmed the practice of mob justice," Laetitia Razafimamonjy, project coordinator of the Afrobarometer survey in Madagascar, said. Enditem