health

RIGHTS-COTE D’IVOIRE: Impunity Lays the Ground for Sexual Abuse

Fulgence Zamblé

ABIDJAN, Oct 8 2006 (IPS) – Increasing sexual violence in Côte d Ivoire has prompted rights organisations to call for an end to a culture of impunity which they claim has encouraged this trend particularly as concerns the military.
Since September 2002, Côte d Ivoire has been divided into a rebel-controlled north and government-dominated south. Many rights violations, especially against women, have been reported by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and victims themselves in the past four years with soldiers amongst those most frequently accused of rape.

While Ivorian legislation provides for jail terms of up to 20 years for rape, the political crisis in this West African country has undermined its judicial system, creating the climate of impunity which some believe is enabling abuse.

Ethel Higonnet, an advocate and activist from the New York-based Human Rights Watch who has been researching sexual violence in Côte d Ivoire from 2002, says she has come across widespread sexual slavery, incest and rape with about 70 percent of women being regular victims of sexual violence across the country.

In the west, the situation is chaotic. There is not a village where women are not victims of sexual slavery. There is a rape each week in every sub-prefecture, Higonnet observed, during a recent press conference in the financial capital of Abidjan where she presented her initial findings. She also noted that the ages of victims ranged from three to 75 years.

Yet, We have seen only three cases of punishment for sexual violence in the west in four years. It s terrifying, she said. In the south of the country, military checkpoints had become epicentres of sexual violence, as armed forces sexually abuse young girls there.
Ténin Touré-Diabaté, a professor of sociology at the University of Cocody in Abidjan, believes it is essential for military commanders to institute disciplinary measures to stop their troops abusing women.

Without this, all proposals and other sensitisation initiatives will be destined to failure, she told IPS.

Similar sentiments are voiced by Higonnet: We hope that all the perpetrators of sexual violence towards women will be subjected to the severity of law as quickly as possible so as discourage other persons (from this abuse).

For his part, Ange Kessi Kouamé, the military prosecutor of Côte d Ivoire, has said that a trial of accused rapists will soon begin.

We are aware of the phenomenon (although) we were surprised to receive only four complaints of rape in all these years. But I assure people that those who are guilty will be severely punished.

Drissa Bamba, coordinator at the Ivorian Movement of Human Rights (Mouvement ivoirien des droits humains), an NGO based in Abidjan, believes changes in training and recruitment are key in transforming attitudes towards sexual violence amongst soldiers.

He suggests that military programmes should include not only teaching about Ivorian legislation on human rights, but also a course on rights in general, and those of women in particular.

Higonnet is also critical of the Ivorian medical services, claiming that these fail to provide support for victims. This is despite the fact that women face the prospect of a range of medical problems, including infection by sexually-transmitted diseases such as AIDS, as a result of being abused.

Women are often victims of a lack of medical care, of confidentiality in health centres, she said, indicating that the expense of consultations was at issue.

Notes Marie-Thérèse Trazongodo, a psychologist in Abidjan, Because of lack of assistance, there are few women who make complaints (of abuse).

In a move that may infuriate a good many women s rights activists, however, Touré-Diabaté also lays the blame for high rates of abuse at the door of girls and women themselves.

The (political) crisis has certainly favoured cases of sexual violence. But it s a phenomenon that existed already, and which is now growing simply because women are those principally responsible, she noted.

Today, the dress of young girls cannot but excite boys. They wear skirts that barely reach to mid-thigh, or shirts which expose their navels, Touré-Diabaté observed, also complaining of how women wear skin-tight dresses or clothes that accentuate their curves What can happen when one is in the road (with such an outfit)?

 

Related Posts

Game Of Thrones Complete Series Blu-Ray Is Only $58 For Amazon Prime Day

Game of Thrones fans can pick up the complete series on Blu-ray for only $58 at Amazon during Prime Day 2024. You can also save on multiple editions of House of the Dragon Season 1, including the 4K Blu-ray steelbook edition, as well as A Song of Ice and Fire novel box sets.


Game of Thrones & House of the Dragon Blu-ray Deals

  • Game of Thrones: Complete Series (Blu-ray) — $58 ($108)
  • Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season Steelbook (Blu-ray) — $18 ($28)
  • Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season Steelbook (Blu-ray) — $18 ($40)
  • House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season Steelbook (4K) — $28 ($37)
  • House of the Dragon…

PlayStation Plus Moving Away From Monthly PS4 Games

Sony has announced a key change for the future of PlayStation Plus. Sony will shift away from offering PS4 games as it looks to focus on PS5 games instead. Sony said it’s making this change as part of the evolution of PS Plus overall Come from online casino bangladesh . This isn’t starting soon, though, and will begin in January 2026.

“As we shift to PS5, PS4 games will no longer be a key benefit and will only be occasionally offered for PlayStation Plus Monthly Games and Game Catalog starting January 2026. We may still provide titles that can be playable on both PS4 and PS5 consoles after this date,” Sony said.

PS4 games that players have already redeemed from PS Plus are not affected, provided players stay subscribed to Pl…

Saquon Barkley's No-Look Hurdle Has Been Added To Madden NFL 25

In the NFL, when players pull off something special on the field, fans occasionally refer to it as a “video-game move.” But Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley took that to another level earlier this season when he evaded a defender by jumping over him while looking the other way. EA couldn’t resist adding that no-look hurdle to the latest update for Madden NFL 25, but Barkley is the only player who can use it and it’s not easy to pull off.

As part of the notes for the new Madden NFL 25 update, EA explained that the development team immediately decided to put Barkley’s “once-in-a-lifetime move” in the game by combing through hours of motion-capture footage. From there, they determined which animations could be modified to recreate Barkley’s leap, with some additional h…

Resistance 4 Was Pitched But Didn't Work Out, Says Former Insomniac Boss

According to former Insomniac Games boss Ted Price, a Resistance 4 game was pitched but ultimately wasn’t made.

In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Ted Price, said, “We did pitch that one. It was a wonderful concept, and in terms of timing and market opportunity, it didn’t work out.” When asked whether Resistance 3’s poor sales at the time impacted the decision to move on from the series, Price didn’t answer directly.

“Resistance 3 was intended to end that chapter of the Resistance franchise,” he explained. “With the way we ended with [protagonist] Capelli and closed a lot of loops on various smaller story items…we wanted to do that so we could have more options in the future, whether we would go ahead with more Resistance games or taking another turn.”

Star Wars- Legion Is Super Cheap For Prime Day – Plus, More Star Wars Board Game Deals

We’ve seen plenty of great Star Wars video games hit the market over the past few years, but the same is also true for Star Wars board games. Legion is one of the most popular options, pitting two players against each other in strategy battles that can run for up to three hours. It’s also one of the most expensive at $120–but for Prime Day, you can get it for just $89. Come from online casino bangladesh

That’s one of the lowest prices of the year. The base game includes 33 highly detailed miniatures, a comprehensive rulebook, and all the cards and pieces you need to dive into the complex game. The game is an easy recommendation for Star Wars fans now that it’s listed for less than $120, though we’re sure Amazon …

Elden Ring's Miyazaki Named To Time's 100 Most Influential People List For 2023

Time Magazine’s annual list of the world’s top 100 most influential people has arrived, and the list includes one person from the world of video games. From Software’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director of Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls, lands on the list in the “Innovator” section. Come from Sports betting site VPbet

Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann profiled Miyazaki for Time, writing that Miyazaki’s games originally made him feel “miserable” because Druckmann’s character died over and over again. But Druckmann, and gamers all over the place who stick with Miyazaki’s games, may end up having a breakthrough. That’s what makes Miyazaki such a great designer, Druckmann said.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *