Côte d'Ivoire

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

25.7 million

World Bank, 2019

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

Although a former French colony, Côte d'Ivoire did not inherit laws criminalizing same-sex sexual acts in private (Canning, 2011). However public same-sex acts are, “punished with imprisonment for three months to two years and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 francs” (Refworld, 2014).Nonetheless, the capital is considered to be a safe haven for the LGBTQI community, where, “sexual minorities are becoming increasingly visible”.

Côte d'Ivoire's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
No
Broad Protections
No
Criminalization of Violence
No
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
Yes
Gender
Does Not Apply
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
Does Not Apply

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Canning, P. (2011, October). Is Ivory Coast Truly an Oasis for LGBT People? https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111810/http://www.care2.com/causes/is-ivory-coast-truly-an-oasis-for-lgbt-people.html

Lyngaas, S. (2017, March). Jailing of gay Ivorian men stokes fears in LGBT safe haven. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ivorycoast-gay/jailing-of-gay-ivorian-men-stokes-fears-in-lgbt-safe-haven-idUSKBN16T1AI

Mendes, L. R. (2019, March). State-Sponsored Homophobia. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, And Intersex Association. https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2019.pdf

Refworld. (2014, December). Côte d'Ivoire: Application of article 360 of the Penal Code against sexual minorities. https://www.refworld.org/docid/568e2ee74.html

Sia, K. (2017). AIDS March Abidjan Ivory Coast. https://www.pinknews.co.uk/images/2017/08/AIDS-march-Abidjan-Ivory-Coast-650x433.jpg

The World Bank. (2019). Côte d'Ivoire. Data. https://data.worldbank.org/country/CI