Côte d'Ivoire: Impunity Lays the Ground for Sexual Abuse

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.