Date of Review: December 2009
Ivory Coast was reviewed on 3 December 2009. The troika consisted of Slovakia, Ghana and Bolivia.
The national report states that conceiving, planning and implementing Human Rights Education programs is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (MJDH), which has structures for the promotion and protection of human rights. In particular, there is a regular audit process of the legislation, the publication of a free newspaper called «Mes Droits» ("My Rights"), which is printed in over 5 000 copies in order to inform and educate the population on human rights and fundamental freedoms. This specific structures also oversee the creation, follow-up and management of about one thousand human rights clubs in cooperation with NGOs and ONUCI.
The document deals with Human Rights Education on a few occasions.
In the chapter dedicated to the protection of women's rights (p.16) : « As regards awareness-raising and public education, since 1995 the Ministry of the Family, Women and Social Affairs (MFFAS) has been conducting education campaigns about the law in urban, peri-urban and rural areas, and on international days has organized training sessions on the basic concepts of the rights of women, families and children. Between 1995 and 2000 a Ministry-run advice and information centre handled 2,350 cases of marital problems, abandoned women, widows, teenage mothers and pregnant adolescents.
Within the prospects, in the chapter on consolidation of the rule of law and the campaign against impunity (p.20), Human Rights Education gets a special focus. «Human rights education will help citizens to familiarize themselves with the international legal instruments on human rights, and to gain a sound understanding of the values which underpin them. It will also contribute in the long term to preventing attacks on human rights and building a just society upholding respect for the dignity and equality of all citizens.»
Point 4 on economic, social and cultural rights (p.15) is devoted to the right to education and training.
Report submitted by Ivory Coast in PDF format,
NGOs having submitted a report:
• Action for Protection of Human Rights (APDH)
• Coalition of the Ivory Coast for the Universal Periodic Review (CEPU-CI)
• International Defence of Children (DEI-CI)
• School as an Instrument of Peace (EIP-CI)
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
• Franciscans International (FI)
• Franciscans International (FI) Ivoirian Human Rights League (LIDHO)
• Ivoirian Human Rights Movement (MIDH)
• Ivoirian Human Rights Actors Group (RAIDH)
Read the coalition report (in French), specifically point E on p. 5, which pertains to the right to education.
Read the EIP contribution on the Ivory Coast to the Universal Periodic Review.
Extract of a summary of the contributions of the civil society to the UPR (point 9, page 10).
According to APDH, the enrolment rate is quite low in rural areas and those controlled by the Forces nouvelles (FN) due to wide-scale underreporting of births.
CEPU-CI reported that according to PNUD, the pre-crisis gross enrolment rate was 75%, which slipped to 46% in 2008.
Among the many reasons for this situation, EIP-CI cited massive population displacement, a lack of schools in certain areas at the onset of the crisis and a deterioration in school infrastructures.
Furthermore, EIP-CI and FI have cited disparities between the country’s regions.
According to CEPU-CI, many school-aged children are not educated, whereas others are withdrawn from the system before the age of 15, either to work in the fields or force young girls into a pre-mature marriage.
EIP-CI reported that there are no legal measures requiring parents to send their children to school.
FI cited a high drop-out rate, which is more prominent among female rather than male students.
DEI-CI noted that female and handicapped students experience difficulties in access to education in spite of the law that incorporated non-discrimination and the idea of an “ inclusive school system.”
DEI-CI and CEPU-CI recommended rendering primary education compulsory and free of charge.
EIP-CI recommended implementing effective measures with the aim of making primary education free for everyone.
Moreover, DEI-CI recommended reinforcing education for girls.
EIP-CI recommended taking advantage of the cancellation of the nation’s foreign debt through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries programme in order to improve the educational system by building school infrastructure and recruiting and training teachers.
EIP-CI recommended strike prevention and conflict management within the school and university setting, in addition to making schools a safe haven through measures against acts of violence.
Extracts from the High Commissioner of Human Rights Summary
7. DEI-CI recommended that the government reinforce its child protection policy, especially in regard to children deprived of education and freedom.
53. According to APDH, the enrolment rate is quite low in rural areas and those controlled by the Forces nouvelles (FN) due to wide-scale underreporting of births. CEPU-CI reported that according to PNUD, the pre-crisis gross enrolment rate was 75%, which slipped to 46% in 2008. Among the many reasons for this situation, EIP-CI cited massive population displacement, a lack of schools in certain areas at the onset of the crisis and a deterioration in school infrastructures. Furthermore, EIP-CI and FI have cited disparities between the country’s regions. According to CEPU-CI, many school-aged children are not educated, whereas others are withdrawn from the system before the age of 15, either to work in the fields or force young girls into a pre-mature marriage. EIP-CI reported that there are no legal measures requiring parents to send their children to school. FI cited a high drop-out rate, which is more prominent among female rather than male students. DEI-CI noted that female and handicapped students experience difficulties in access to education in spite of the law that incorporated non-discrimination and the idea of an “inclusive school system.”
54. DEI-CI and CEPU-CI recommended rendering primary education compulsory and free of charge. EIP-CI also recommended implementing effective measures with the aim of making primary education free for everyone. Moreover, DEI-CI recommended reinforcing education for girls. EIP-CI recommended taking advantage of the cancellation of the nation’s foreign debt through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries programme in order to improve the educational system by building school infrastructure and recruiting and training teachers.
55. EIP-CI and CEPU-CI reported that the educational sector is continually shaken up by strikes organised by educators and students alike. EIP-CI recommended strike prevention and conflict management within the school and university setting, in addition to making schools a safe haven through measures against acts of violence.
Read the High Commissioner for Human Rights Summary in PDF format
Out of all recommendations directed at the Ivory Coast, 108 were accepted, none were rejected and 39 resulted in reservations.
With respect to education, the Ivory Coast accepted the following recommendations:
• Improve detention centres and the conditions of detentions in general, specifically through providing security forces with training in the field of human rights (Italy).
• Adhere to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education from 1960 (Algeria).
• Continue to reinforce educational policies (Angola), make concerted efforts to give substance to the right to education (Ivory Coast) and, with the assistance of the international community, strengthen its human and institutional capacities in the fields of education and healthcare (Ghana).
• Pursue efforts to guarantee to educate females and re-educate children who dropped out of school or never attended, with the support of the UN (Burundi), and continue to make progress in its campaign to guarantee a basic education for all, including by means of after-school instruction, through the support and cooperation with the international community (Bangladesh).
• Take all necessary steps so that child labour does not infringe on a child’s right to education (United Kingdom).
• Pursue its efforts in the field of economic, social and cultural rights in order to consolidate the progress already achieved (Cuba), fight against poverty and guarantee the right to education for all, with the support of the international community (Mauritus).
• Through the assistance of the international community, develop activities to integrate human rights education into standard academic programmes and strengthen the capacity of national authorities to promote the exercising of human rights (Ghana).
No follow-up has been reported up to now.
Date of first review: 3 December 2009
Date of next review : May 2014
On the basis of all the recommendations received by Ivory Coast for the first two cycles, 25 of them are related to human rights education and training.
Undertake a comprehensive legal and cultural awareness-raising campaign on sexual and gender-based violence including issues such as rape, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and domestic violence
Pursue efforts to combat violence against women, notably by intensifying awareness-raising campaigns about respect for women's rights
Continue efforts to fight violence against women, including by raising awareness on the fight against female genital mutilation
Consolidate the progress achieved in the field of human rights education and training, by regularly organizing, with the assistance of the international community, seminars and awareness-raising workshops on human rights, particularly for members of the security forces and the judiciary
Implement policies aimed primarily at judicial and police officers, which combat stereotypes that normalize violence against women, in order to create a proper atmosphere for victims to file complaints on such acts
Intensify awareness-raising and educational campaigns to supplement current programmes aimed at empowering women, with a particular focus on identifying and countering discriminatory perceptions and actions or practices that could endanger the safety and security of women and girls
Take concrete measures to protect the rights of people with albinism, in accordance with the recommendations made by the Office of the High Commissioner, and raise awareness among society about their situation
Strengthen awareness campaigns on the harmful consequences of female genital mutilation and bring all excision practitioners to justice
Urge to take measures for the introduction of specific modules on human rights at all levels of education, and to continue its cooperation with international and regional human rights mechanisms, boost the national framework of humanitarian consultation created by the decree of 23 January 2013 and to strengthen the role of NGOs' interface and civil society
Conduct such specific awareness-raising campaigns which can help to sensitize the general Ivorian public regarding the rights of LGBTI persons
Address discrimination against children through a review and reorientation of policies and launch comprehensive public information campaigns to prevent and combat all forms of discrimination, where needed within the framework of international cooperation
Adopt efficient educational policies, notably through enforcing full accountability for school violence, human rights training programmes for teachers, and continuous expansion of the school network and its resources to guarantee a truly obligatory and accessible primary education
Build on its human rights and fundamental freedoms training through the elaboration of specific training programmes to prevent the abuse of power
Collaborate with international aid agencies to improve medical assistance and distribute free medical certificates for victims of sexual violence, carry out an awareness-raising campaign throughout the country about the relationship between sexual violence and HIV-AIDS prevention and give priority to the establishment of sexual and reproductive health programmes for women and girls
Consolidate progress made in the field of human rights education and envisage setting up, with the assistance of the international community, national human rights education and training programmes, particularly training and awareness-raising of security forces, law enforcement officials and members of the judiciary
Envisage implementing, with assistance from OHCHR, international human rights and humanitarian law training and awareness-raising programmes for State officials in charge of security, law enforcement personnel and members of the judiciary
Give priority to human rights education and training on all levels, according to the criteria defined by the World Programme for Human Rights Education
Intensify ongoing sensitization activities, carried out together with members of civil society, towards the reduction, or even the eradication in the future, of female genital mutilation
Participate in the UNOCI mandate for training and activities of promotion, awareness-raising and technical assistance to face key human rights challenges, including impunity and grave violations of the rights of women and children
Provide human rights training specifically focused on protection of the human rights of women, children and other vulnerable groups to civil servants, military forces and police, prison and judicial staff and ensure their full accountability for any violations of human rights in all situations
Put in practice concrete programs for awareness raising against discrimination for gender identity and sexual orientation, guarantee the respect for privacy
Recommend that the international community provide technical assistance to Cote d'Ivoire to strengthen the capacity of its national mechanisms responsible for preparing periodic reports for treaty bodies and assist Cote d'Ivoire in training law enforcement officials, judges and police officers in the area of human rights
Take all measures to ensure the effective prohibition of female genital mutilation, including, among others, the implementation of awareness-raising programmes for the population about its terrible effects
Undertake awareness-raising campaigns to sensitize the security forces and to ensure the effective prosecution of perpetrators of sexual violence
With the support of the international community, pursue its efforts to reduce crime and combat smuggling and trafficking of children and strengthen this with awareness-raising actions and training on the rights of the child