Human Trafficking in [Cote d'Ivoire] [other countries]
Street Children in [Cote d'Ivoire] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Cote d'Ivoire] [other countries]
 

Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Republic of Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire [map] is a W African country on the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Liberia and Guinea (W), by Mali and Burkina Faso (N), and by Ghana (E). Its capital is Yamoussoukro, and its largest city, commercial center, and former capital is Abidjan. Côte d'Ivoire is one of Africa's richest countries, but instability and internal fighting have displaced the population and disrupted access to essential social services.

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated, misleading or even false. No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

UNICEF - The Big Picture

U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - UNICEF estimated that 40.3 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years were working in Côte d’Ivoire in 2000. Some children working as domestics are subject to mistreatment, including sexual abuse. Children are also found working in prostitution.

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

CHILDREN - Teachers sometimes gave good grades and money to students in exchange for sexual favors. The penalty for statutory rape or attempted rape of either a girl or a boy aged 15 years or younger was a 1- to 3-year prison sentence and a fine of $190 to $1,900.

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS - The regular trafficking of children into the country from neighboring countries to work in the informal sector in exchange for finder's fees generally was accepted. Children were trafficked into the country from Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Mauritania for indentured or domestic servitude, farm labor, and sexual exploitation.

The Protection Project - Cote d'Ivoire [DOC]

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Children have been trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire for forced agricultural work. Thousands of Malian children may be working on Ivorian farms. In September 2002, for example, an Ivorian national was arrested in the Sikasso area of Mali. Accompanying him were three children, whom he was allegedly attempting to bring into Côte d’Ivoire. Child agricultural workers are exposed to dangerous pesticides and other hazards. Furthermore, it is suspected that there is a high number of prostituted children in Côte d’Ivoire, including young Nigerian trafficking victims.

ECPAT: Fifth Report on implementation of the Agenda for Action [DOC]

[B] COUNTRY UPDATES – IVORY COAST – According to UNICEF, CSEC is an increasing problem in Ivory Coast. Victims are aged from 10 to 21 and it is children from disadvantaged backgrounds that are most vulnerable. Children from Ghana, Mali, Liberia and Nigeria living in the country are also victims. Students, especially from Dabou, are reported to be heavily engaged in prostitution to augment their family income, whereas in Daloa and San Pedro, child prostitution is an organized affair. Here, children are managed by pimps and made to provide sexual services to clients. Prostitution of boys is also on the rise in the country. Sex tourism is reported to be widespread in places like Abidjan, San Pedro, Bassam, Bouaké, Man and Daloa. Reports indicate that there are clubs that offer erotic massage services and involve children as young as 10 and 14 years of age.

ECPAT: Analysis of CSEC in Seven Countries in West Africa

CONFRONTING THE PROBLEM - There is very little awareness on the issue, not only on the part of the general population, but also on the part of politicians and policy makers. This is not to say that nothing is being done. On 29th January 1999, for example, thousands of children took to the streets in one city of Ivory Coast and demonstrated against the rising cases of pedophilia and other forms of child sex abuse in their country. There is an active network of individuals, numerous NGOs and other organizations that are tackling the problem.

Planning Intervention Strategies for Child Laborers in Côte d’Ivoire [PDF]

[page 56] 4. PROSTITUTION - Because of the deterioration of the economic situation of the country, the prevalence of prostitution among both boys and girls is rapidly increasing. There are some children who work as street vendors, guards, or domestic workers and engage in occasional prostitution. The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country is attributed to sexual promiscuity and the increase in prostitution. Pedophilia, child sexual exploitation, and rape are also increasing. SOS Violences Sexualles, Ivorian human rights NGO, states that about 15,000 to 20,000 women and children are raped every year.

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Human Trafficking in [Cote d'Ivoire] [other countries]
Street Children in [Cote d'Ivoire] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Cote d'Ivoire] [other countries]