In Côte d'Ivoire, laws are silent on the LGBT+ issue. Nowhere in Ivorian legislation is the term LGBT+ or homosexual used. There is Article 360 of the Criminal Code, which refers to "immodest and unnatural acts between persons of the same sex". It is on the basis of this article that the police arrest LGBT+ persons, especially transvestites and transgender people, for public outrage against modesty. In November 2016, two homosexual men from the south-west of Côte d’Ivoire were sentenced on the basis of article 360 of the penal code.
NB: You can find my analysis of the issue of LGBT laws in Côte d'Ivoire in this article:
- French version: 76crimesfr.com/2016/07/09/protection-des-lgbt-le-jeu-trouble-de-la-cote-divoire/
- English version: 76crimes.com/2016/07/12/ivory-coast-as-lgbt-sanctuary-except-when-its-not/
Do you have an experience close to your heart that you would like to share with us?
In the framework of the Observatory that we have set up, and of which I am the General Coordinator, we have noticed that there is a rise in the number of homophobic attacks in 2018. There are many physical attacks. A transgender person was murdered at night on the 31st of April this year. The LGBT+ community of Abidjan seems to be in psychosis because of this proliferation of homophobic attacks.
What are we doing to improve laws or the current system on LGBT + issues in Côte d’Ivoire?
To improve the laws for LGBT+ people, we advocated for the amendment of Article 360 of the Criminal Code, as this article promotes discrimination and stigmatisation against LGBT+ persons. The Ministry of Justice has agreed to amend article 360 during the general revision of the Penal Code currently under way. But it remains now that the Parliament validates this reform.
We also provide legal assistance to LGBT+ persons to facilitate their access to justice. We have also helped set up a Human Rights Observatory for the fight against HIV to defend the right to health of LGBT+ people (these people are the main targets of this Observatory). Because human rights are cross-cutting and interdependent, defending the right to health also protects all other fundamental rights of LGBT+ persons.