Côte d’Ivoire

A presidential representative democratic republic, Côte d’Ivoire (or Ivory Coast) is a country located in West Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea.

Ivory Coast counts almost 27 million inhabitants, roughly divided between Muslims (50%), mainly in the north, and Christians (41%), mainly in the south. A small minority adheres to other religions.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/[/ref]

Ivory Coast is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

In the latest decades, the country has lived a troubled history, experiencing a coup d’état in 1999, followed by two religiously-grounded civil wars (2002 to 2007, then 2010 to 2011) with the north largely controlled by Muslim rebels, and the recognized government presiding over the predominantly Christian south.

Although the civil war ended in 2011, Côte d’Ivoire occasionally still struggles amid sectarian and political tensions, most recently seen during the 2020 Presidential elections.[ref]https://www.crisisgroup.org/fr/africa/west-africa/c%C3%B4te-divoire/b161-cote-divoire-reporter-pour-dialoguer[/ref]

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Constitution and government
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
Education and children’s rights
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Legend
 
Systemic Discrimination
No Rating
More information about rating table

Constitution and government

The Constitution of 2016[ref]https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Cote_DIvoire_2016.pdf?lang=en[/ref] declares Ivory Coast a secular state (Article 49), and affirms the equality of all citizens before the law irrespective of religion (Article 4), further prohibiting discrimination in public and private employment due to, inter alia, philosophical or religious opinions (Article 14).

Article 19 of the Constitution protects freedom of thought, belief and expression, crucially mentioning freedom of conscience and of philosophical convictions alongside freedom of religion:

“Freedom of thought and freedom of expression, particularly, freedom of conscience, of philosophical and religious conviction or of worship are guaranteed to everyone. Everyone has the right to express and disseminate their ideas freely.

These freedoms are exercised subject to respect for the law, for the rights of others, for national security and for public order.

Any propaganda whose objective or outcome is to elevate one social group above another, or to encourage racial, tribal or religious, hatred is prohibited.”

The Department of Faith Based Organizations within the Ministry of Interior is entrusted with promoting dialogue between religious groups and with the Government. It also provides administrative support for these groups as well as monitoring their activities and processing the registration of new religious organizations.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/[/ref]

Religious groups are required by law to register with the government by submitting an application to the Department of Faith Based Organizations, which conducts a security investigation on the group and its members. Although no penalty is foreseen for not registering, registered religious groups benefit from government support, including free access to state-run television and radio to provide specifically religious programming. Registered religious groups are also exempt from import duties on items such as religious books.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/[/ref]

Religions enjoy special privileges in other domains. For instance, the government funds pilgrimages abroad for Christians and Muslims,[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/[/ref] and members of  foreign religious institutions pay much lower visa and residence card fees than lay visitors and residents.[ref]https://www.carteresident.ci/Fees.html[/ref]

Education and children’s rights

Religious education is not part of  the public school curriculum but is often administered by private schools affiliated with a particular faith.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cote-divoire/[/ref]

As of November 2020, almost 523,000 students are enrolled in private primary and secondary schools.[ref]https://www.ecolci.net/[/ref]

Traditional Quranic schools, in particular, are growing at a fast pace, and raise concern about the possibility of Islamic radicalization.[ref]https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/100397-000-A/cote-d-ivoire-le-succes-des-ecoles-coraniques/[/ref]

We do not yet have information about the nature of such instruction, or whether religious private schools receive public funding.

Family, community and society

According to independent surveys, the percentage of those who self-declare as atheists or non-religious in Ivory Coast is negligible.[ref]https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/07/losing-their-religion-these-are-the-world-s-most-atheistic-countries/; https://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_61_1.asp[/ref] However, we have also found no reports of abuse targeting atheists or ‘apostates’.

While Ivory Coast has been mostly spared by the phenomenon of jihadism which afflicts other Western African countries, it suffered a major terrorist attack from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in March 2016, when gunmen shot bathers at random in the coastal town Grand Bassam, killing 19 people.[ref]https://www.counterextremism.com/countries/cote-d-ivoire[/ref] The attack was denounced by several religious leaders with the High Council of Imams denouncing the ‘barbaric methods’ of the extremists. The Ahmadiyya Islamic Mission Community was falsely associated with the attackers by the media in the country, though they also denounced the attacks.[ref]https://www.state.gov/report/custom/befbad674d/[/ref]

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

The country is divided, politically as well as geographically, between its predominantly Muslim North and predominantly Christian South. The sectarian conflict has ebbed and flowed, but the government has generally respected freedom of religion or belief per se.

Political turmoil and civil conflict resurged after the disputed presidential election in December 2010 infringing some freedoms, including freedom of the press and freedom to peaceably assemble. Some concerns remain that the government has failed to investigate some other serious human rights violations or address the root causes of the conflict.

The 2020 Presidential elections have been the latest catalyst of societal tensions and protests, at times brutally repressed by the police.[ref]https://www.article19.org/resources/cote-divoire-civic-space-is-shrinking/[/ref]

Freedom House rates Ivory Coast as only “Partly Free”, citing as hindrances to freedom the threat of  violence, endemic corruption, citizenship issues for thousands of people in the north, gender-based violence, as well as prolonged pre-trial detention, impunity, or lack of due process in justice matters.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2020[/ref]

Furthermore, in 2020 a new Criminal Code was approved that punishes with imprisonment any offense to the president and vice-president, the organization of “undeclared or prohibited” demonstrations, and the act of “sharing false news where that results or could result in” disturbance to public order.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/cote-divoire; https://freedomhouse.org/country/cote-divoire/freedom-world/2020[/ref]