Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire has experienced a series of violent conflicts since 2002, leading to rampant human rights abuses and sexual violence committed by all parties.

In the early days, conflict-related sexual violence was used to punish and humiliate political enemies and became more widespread during an armed rebellion. This continued until the end of the electoral crisis in 2011.

Approximately 3,000 survivors of conflict-related sexual violence were registered and deemed eligible for reparation by the former reparations commission (CONARIV).  Its mandate ended in July 2017, and the majority of survivors have received little to no repair. 

While there are already many entities, both national and international, working in areas related to the needs of survivors (justice, healthcare, employment assistance etc.) many victims are unaware of nor benefit from these services for various reasons, including challenges related to communication and accessibility. 

In the absence of dedicated external funding and government commitment to reparation, GSF pilots a unique bottom-up approach that mobilises local resources to unblock access to state services. With our partner the Confédération des Organisations des Victimes de la Crise Ivoirienne (COVICI), the project matches survivors to services including psychosocial and peer support, help in obtaining birth certificates, nationality and ID cards, registering survivors for welfare, and help with work placements. Progress was also made in accessing healthcare and livelihood assistance.

The pilot aims to build a foundation for full reparation starting at the community level, by providing a base for survivors to advocate for expanded government support and acknowledgment.