Côte d’Ivoire: Next president must tackle urgent human rights issues – Amnesty International

 

Human Rights and Sustainable Development Priorities for the Next Administration of Côte d’Ivoire

Introduction

A manifesto has been issued outlining six key human rights priorities for the next presidential administration in Côte d’Ivoire. These priorities are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provide a roadmap for advancing human rights, justice, and sustainable development over the next five-year mandate. All candidates are called upon to commit to this agenda.

Priority 1: Upholding Civil Liberties and Strengthening Institutions (SDG 16)

The first priority addresses the need to protect fundamental freedoms and build strong, accountable institutions, directly contributing to SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

• Freedom of Expression and Assembly: The current Criminal Code criminalizes the dissemination of ‘false information’ and penalizes organizers of undeclared protests. These provisions are frequently used to suppress dissent.
• Freedom of Association: Authorities possess the power to dissolve organizations by decree, without a right to appeal, undermining civil society space.

Recommendations:

1. Amend the law on civil society organizations to guarantee the right to freedom of association.
2. Revise the Penal Code to reduce penalties for disseminating information and ensure compliance with international human rights standards.
3. Cease all abusive legal proceedings, intimidation, and harassment against individuals and entities for exercising their human rights.

Priority 2: Ensuring Adequate Housing and Reducing Inequality (SDG 1, SDG 10, SDG 11)

Addressing forced evictions is critical for achieving SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

• Forced Evictions: Tens of thousands of people have been victims of forced evictions. Announced support measures have been insufficient and not fully implemented for all affected individuals.

Recommendations:

1. End the practice of forced evictions, in accordance with obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
2. Guarantee fair compensation and provide adequate, secure rehousing for all victims of forced evictions.

Priority 3: Advancing Justice, Reconciliation, and Accountability (SDG 16)

Ensuring access to justice for victims of past violence is fundamental to national reconciliation and achieving SDG 16.

• Impunity for Electoral Violence: Victims of the 2010–2011 and 2020 post-election violence continue to await justice and reparations. A 2018 amnesty law has shielded perpetrators from accountability.
• Access to Regional Justice: Since 2020, the state has withdrawn the declaration allowing individuals and NGOs to bring cases directly before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Recommendations:

1. Strengthen domestic justice mechanisms to ensure the rights of victims and their families are not compromised by reconciliation efforts.
2. Restore the jurisdiction of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights to receive complaints directly from individuals and non-governmental organizations.

Priority 4: Promoting Gender Equality and Eliminating Violence Against Women (SDG 5)

Tackling gender-based violence is essential for the realization of SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

• Barriers to Justice: Survivors of sexual violence face significant obstacles, including the requirement of a paid medical certificate to file a rape complaint and a legal presumption of consent between spouses in the Penal Code.

Recommendations:

1. Ensure the effective enforcement of all laws against gender-based violence.
2. Guarantee that survivors have access to medical care, forensic examinations, psychological counseling, and shelters without delay or financial barriers.

Priority 5: Protecting Children’s Rights and Ensuring Decent Work (SDG 8, SDG 16)

Protecting children from exploitation and ensuring their legal identity are key to achieving SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 16.

• Child Labour: Despite some progress, child labour persists, as noted by the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery.
• Civil Registration: Lack of access to civil registration for all children hinders the protection of their human rights.

Recommendations:

1. Prioritize the fight against child labour by conducting investigations and prosecuting alleged perpetrators.
2. Ensure victims of child labour have access to justice and effective remedies.
3. Facilitate universal access to civil registration for all children.

Priority 6: Guaranteeing Environmental Rights and Climate Action (SDG 6, SDG 13, SDG 15)

Protecting the environment is linked to the rights of communities and contributes to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

• Land and Resource Degradation: Rural communities face land seizure due to agricultural expansion and illegal logging, often without adequate consultation or compensation. Water sources are being rendered unfit for use by chemicals from gold mining.

Recommendations:

1. Enforce laws against illegal deforestation, unsustainable logging, and land grabbing.
2. Establish effective consultation and compensation mechanisms for communities affected by environmental degradation.
3. Facilitate community access to information and legal remedies for human rights violations related to environmental damage and climate change impacts.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 15: Life on Land
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 1: No Poverty

• Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property. This is relevant to the section on forced evictions, where the article calls for “fair compensation and adequate and secure rehousing” for victims, addressing their rights to property and access to basic services.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The article points to the Penal Code establishing “a presumption of consent between spouses” as a form of legal discrimination that needs to be addressed.
• Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres. The article explicitly calls to “tackle gender-based violence” and ensure the enforcement of laws against it, highlighting that “sexual violence survivors continue to face obstacles in accessing justice.”

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

• Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials. This is addressed when the article states that “chemicals used in gold mining are making water sources unfit for consumption and agriculture.”

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour. The article directly calls for the next president to “prioritize the fight against child labour,” which persists in the country.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums. This target is central to the article’s demand to “end forced evictions” and provide “adequate and secure rehousing” for the “tens of thousands of victims.”

SDG 15: Life on Land

• Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally. The article’s call to “enforce laws against illegal deforestation, unsustainable logging and land grabbing” directly relates to this target.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. This is highlighted by the call to ensure the “right to truth, justice and reparation for victims of electoral violence” and to strengthen “domestic justice mechanisms.”
• Target 16.9: By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration. The article explicitly states that it is “essential to facilitate access to civil registration for all children to ensure their human rights.”
• Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. This is addressed in the section calling to “Ensure and protect freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly” by amending laws that criminalize ‘false information’ and are used to “silence critical voices.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Implied Indicator for Target 5.2: The number of legal and procedural barriers for survivors of sexual violence. The article mentions specific barriers that can be measured, such as the requirement for a “paid medical certificate” to file rape complaints and the “presumption of consent between spouses” in the Penal Code. Progress would be the removal of these barriers.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Implied Indicator for Target 8.7: The prevalence of child labor. The article notes that child labor “persists,” implying that the number or proportion of children engaged in labor is a key metric for measuring progress.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Implied Indicator for Target 11.1: The number of people affected by forced evictions and the proportion of victims receiving compensation and rehousing. The article mentions “tens of thousands of victims” and that support measures “have not been implemented for all victims,” suggesting these numbers can be tracked to measure progress.

SDG 15: Life on Land

• Implied Indicator for Target 15.2: The rate of illegal deforestation and unsustainable logging. The call to enforce laws against these practices implies that their incidence can be monitored as a measure of environmental protection.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Implied Indicator for Target 16.3: The number of victims of electoral violence who have received justice and reparations. The article states that victims of the 2020 election violence “are still waiting for justice and reparations,” indicating that the resolution of these cases is a measurable outcome.
• Implied Indicator for Target 16.9: The proportion of children with civil registration. The call to “facilitate access to civil registration for all children” suggests that the birth registration rate is a key indicator of progress.
• Implied Indicator for Target 16.10: The number of abusive legal proceedings against individuals for exercising their human rights. The call to “end abusive legal proceedings and all forms of intimidation” implies that tracking such cases is a way to measure the protection of fundamental freedoms.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators (Implied from Article)
SDG 1: No Poverty	1.4: Equal rights to economic resources, access to basic services, and control over land.	Proportion of people displaced by forced evictions who receive fair compensation and secure rehousing.
SDG 5: Gender Equality	5.1: End all forms of discrimination against women and girls. 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.	Existence of laws that discriminate against women (e.g., presumption of spousal consent); Number of procedural barriers to justice for sexual violence survivors (e.g., paid medical certificates).
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation	6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution and hazardous chemicals.	Number of water sources made unfit for consumption due to pollution from mining activities.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth	8.7: Eradicate forced labour and child labour.	Prevalence (number or proportion) of children engaged in child labour.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	11.1: Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing.	Number of people subjected to forced evictions.
SDG 15: Life on Land	15.2: Halt deforestation and promote sustainable forest management.	Rate of illegal deforestation and unsustainable logging.
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions	16.3: Promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice. 16.9: Provide legal identity for all, including birth registration. 16.10: Protect fundamental freedoms.	Number of victims of electoral violence receiving justice and reparations; Proportion of children with civil registration; Number of abusive legal proceedings against individuals exercising their rights.

Source: amnesty.org