Guidance

Information for survivors of rape and sexual assault in Côte d’Ivoire

Updated 22 February 2024

If you’ve been sexually assaulted it’s important to remember that it was not your fault. Rape and sexual assault is always wrong – no matter who commits it or where it happens. It is traumatic and it can affect you both physically and emotionally. Do not be afraid to get help.

This information is provided to help British nationals overseas make informed decisions about whether and how to:

• seek medical advice and attention
• report to local police
• engage with foreign legal authorities following a rape or other form of sexual assault overseas

For information on support available in the UK, see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK.

First steps

It is your choice about what you do next, but this information may help you in coming to a decision. The most important thing is to make sure that you are as safe as you can be. You can:

• contact the police emergency number on 170, you can also dial 999 from a UK mobile number
• contact your tour operator if you are travelling with one
• contact the British Embassy in Abidjan on +225 2722 442 669. Embassy staff will be empathetic, and non-judgmental, and can provide information on local police and medical procedures. Anything you tell them will be treated in the strictest confidence. They can contact your family or friends for you if you wish

If you want to report the incident to the police in Côte d’Ivoire

If you have a tour operator, they should be able to arrange for someone to support you. If you are in an area where there is a British embassy or consulate, they will try to send a consular officer to support you, where timing and location allow. You will always be able to speak to trained consular staff on the telephone 24/7.

If you approach the police directly, you can also ask them to inform the British embassy on +224 626 26 4040 and they can offer you consular support.

In Côte d’Ivoire, you are required to report the crime at the nearest police station, within your neighbourhood. The police will then signpost you to the “police judiciaire” – the police criminal investigation department.

There are gender-based violence police units within all police stations. Well-trained officers act as focal points for rape and sexual assaults cases.

If you choose to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible, so forensic evidence can be retained.

Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing to the police. You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as condoms, toothbrushes, or texts.

Tell the police if you think you been drugged.

Insist you get a police report, and request a translation in English, if applicable. French is the spoken language in Côte d’Ivoire. If you require an interpreter, you will be assigned one.

Extramarital sex and homosexuality are not crimes in Côte d’Ivoire, and the country’s rape law recognises that males can be victims of rape. However, there is a strong cultural bias against homosexuality, so it would be advisable in such cases to be accompanied by a trusted person when reporting such crimes to the police.

If you do not want to report the incident to the police in Côte d’Ivoire

The British Embassy will be able to help you. This includes helping you to contact your insurance company, your family, making arrangements to travel back to the UK and/or provide you with information on local support in the UK.

They can also provide you with lists of English-speaking medical facilities, lawyers and translators.

If you are travelling with one, you can also report the incident to your tour operator and ask them for assistance. If you wish, and depending on location and timing, a member of consular staff may be able to accompany you.

It is your choice on whether to report the crime. If you don’t report it, your case may not be investigated.

You may still be able to seek medical assistance from a healthcare professional. However, following the medical examination, the healthcare professional may report the incident to the police and share the medical report with the authorities. As such, there is a risk you will be summoned by the police to provide a full statement.

If you want to report the incident to the police in the UK

It is possible to report the crime to police in the UK. However, it is for foreign police forces to decide whether to investigate a crime in their jurisdiction. UK police forces cannot investigate crimes committed overseas.

If you report the incident to the police in the UK, it is likely that the police in the UK will treat it as a complaint rather than a report of a crime. It can therefore be very difficult to guarantee that any justice can be accessed without reporting the crime locally. - Please see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK for more information.

Reporting the crime in Côte d’Ivoire – what happens next?

If you choose to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible, so forensic evidence can be retained. Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence.

If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing to the police. You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as condoms, toothbrushes, or texts and social media messages.

Tell the police if you think you have been drugged.

Evidence such as the clothes you were wearing may be retained by the police. Electronic equipment such as mobile phones and tablets might be taken away temporarily in order to secure data which might serve as evidence.

The police will also ask you to provide your passport for identification, but will return this to you.

During your interview, the police will ask questions to help them conduct their investigations. This will include making a statement about the incident and giving a description of the perpetrator(s). You may request an officer of a particular gender (though there is no guarantee that this can be fulfilled, due to availability), as well as an interpreter.

Following your statement, the police will compile their report, called the “Procès-Verbal de police”. In short, a “PV”. The police will then give you the PV, for you to read, so as to ensure that there are no discrepancies in it. If content, you will sign the PV and the police will keep a copy and give you the original. A translation can be arranged, free of charge, by the tribunal.

A duty lawyer will be assigned to you. However, you can choose to appoint your own lawyer if you wish. You can find a list of English-speaking lawyers here.

The Ivorian police will not notify the police in the UK of the assault. However, the local police can request the UK police carry out checks on the defendant, if there’s a link to the UK.

Following your interview, the police will take you to the nearest public hospital for medical checks. These hospitals are easily accessible in the capital, and larger cities.

The medical examination: what to expect

Not all hospitals and medical centres in Côte d’Ivoire treat victims of rape and sexual assault, but mainstream government hospitals do.

Hospitals that are able to treat you will not automatically report the results of an examination to the police. They will, however, prepare a corresponding medical report for the police, which you will be charged for. The fee for this can be waived by the police if you report the crime to them.

A health worker will conduct a psychological and physical examination, taking samples and photographs if necessary. A female member of the medical staff will not necessarily be present – you can request one but availability is not guaranteed.

A consular officer can accompany you to the hospital, where timing and location allow. You will always be able to speak to trained consular staff on the telephone 24/7.

Treatment

Medical staff in government-run hospitals/medical centres can give you advice on “Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)” medication, a treatment that may prevent HIV infection. More information on risks is available on the NHS website.

HIV PEP medication needs to be taken within 72 hours of the incident for it to be effective. The NHS may be able to commence or continue the 28-day treatment on return to the UK.

In Côte d’Ivoire, emergency contraception can be bought from local pharmacies or given to you at the hospital as part of the emergency treatment. However, the pharmacy may ask for a prescription. It needs to be taken within 72 hours of the incident for it to be effective.

Hospital care in government hospitals is not free of charge in Côte d’Ivoire. Therefore, you may be asked to pay for your treatment. You can make a claim through your insurance. If you are being examined following a request from the Police, you will not need to pay for the examination.

If you have had medication administered overseas, you may wish to keep the label or make a note of the name of the medication, so that you can tell your local health provider the details of your medication when you return home.

Police investigations in Côte d’Ivoire – what to expect

In Côte d’Ivoire, the police have a duty to forward rape and sexual assault cases to the Public Prosecutor.

You will be required to give a statement. In certain circumstances, the police may take you to the crime scene, or to where you think the attacker is located, to try to identify and arrest them. You may request to not have contact with the accused, if you believe this will cause you any distress or trauma.

It is possible that a suspect is brought to the police station and you will be asked to make an identification. This will be carried out by putting the suspect among a group of plain-clothes police officers, and through a tinted window.

All arrests made in relation to the case can lead to investigations. The Public Prosecutor will be made aware of the case. This should happen in less than 48 hours, as suspects cannot be detained beyond that period, unless the Public Prosecutor grants an extension for a further period of up to 48 hours.

Once the case has been filed, you will be able to leave the country. However once trial starts, you will have to be in-country to give evidence. Your lawyer, however, can make a request on your behalf, should you choose not to attend.

As soon as the judicial police officer’s operations are completed, they must send their report to the Public Prosecutor.

Judicial police officers are placed under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor, who may instruct them to gather any information that they may consider useful.

The judge will decide if the case can be dealt with quickly, prompting an immediate conviction, or, if there is not enough evidence to prosecute them, release without or without charges.

If the accused is sent to prison, pending further investigation (i.e bail is not granted), the case will be referred to an investigating judge called “le Juge d’Instruction” – a magistrate in charge of judicial investigations in criminal cases.

The magistrate may take over the case. Subsequently, the magistrate might want to interview you.

It is advised that you attend the Court of Justice, in person, following a summon from the magistrate. Your lawyer can be present at all stages in court.

Court procedures – what to expect

If a suspect is ordered to trial, you will be expected to appear in court to testify from the first stages of the trial. However, if you are not available to testify, your lawyer can represent you.

It is not compulsory to have a lawyer. In this event, you have a right to be kept informed of developments, and can arrange for this by maintaining a contact at the court. However, we recommend taking a lawyer – it can be very difficult for someone who is not familiar with the legal system to navigate all the information and procedural steps.

You are allowed to withdraw the charges during the court proceedings. However, this will not stop the ongoing criminal proceedings because under Ivorian law, the Public Prosecutor has the ability to prosecute even when a victim has withdrawn charges.

You cannot be prosecuted for dropping charges but would waive your rights to compensation for any damages suffered.

The accused can make counter-accusations, claiming false accusations in their defence.

During the investigation phase you can file a civil suit asking for compensation, in the event of a conviction for rape or sexual assault.

How can my case be taken to trial?

You can file a complaint directly to the Public Prosecutor or at a Police station.

The complaint can done in-person or in writing (which must be in French). The complaint has to be lodged within 10 years of the incident having occurred.

Trial procedures

The Public Prosecutor will inform the parties of the trial dates. In Côte d’Ivoire, all court procedures are conducted in French and everyone is expected to speak in French unless if it is not the language of the party, in which case a certified interpreter is provided by the court.

Prior to the beginning of the trial, you may request, through your lawyer, that the hearing be held behind closed doors.

You will be under no obligation to be physically present at every session of the court. Your lawyer can be your representative and act on your behalf.

If you choose to attend trial, and travel from overseas, Ivorian authorities will not assist with travel and accommodation arrangements.

Depending on how the case is proceeding, it may take years for the case to come to trial. Under Côte d’Ivoire law, rape is punishable by imprisonment for five to 20 years, or even life imprisonment, depending on the case and the seriousness of the offence.

Hiring a lawyer

In Côte d’Ivoire, there no lawyers who specialise in rape and sexual assault cases. However, the majority of criminal lawyers are able to assist and represent victims of such crimes.

A list of English-speaking lawyers can be found here.

Communication

The police will normally communicate the status of the case with you, especially when attendance is required in court. Once the case is brought before the Public Prosecutor, all communication will be done through the Prosecutor’s office. If you are outside of Côte d’Ivoire, communication will be routed through your lawyer in-country.

Legal aid

If you do not seek your own legal representation, you will be provided a court-appointed lawyer.

Fees should be discussed at the first meeting between you and the public defender. If you do not have sufficient income to pay the salary of the court-appointed lawyer, you can claim for legal aid through the Ministry of Justice.

An application for legal aid must be made by letter to the local Legal Aid Office, i.e. the legal aid unit in the nearest Court of Justice.

Sentencing

In Côte d’Ivoire, anyone found guilty of sexual assault can be sentenced to five to 20 years’ imprisonment, or life imprisonment, depending on the case and the seriousness of the offence.

There is no set amount of settlement, or bail, in sexual assault cases. In the case of married persons, there is a presumption of consent until proven otherwise. It is only after evidence of rape or sexual assault has been provided that it will be taken into account.

Rape and sexual assault case sentences are weighted in favour of punishment rather than rehabilitation in Côte d’Ivoire.

If the perpetrator is found not guilty, no further charges are pressed against them, and they are released. The alleged offender may then claim to be a victim of defamation and seek compensation for the damage suffered. You would have the right to appeal against the court decision.

When you return to the UK

You may want to let your GP or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) know what has happened to you so that you can talk about the experience and seek further support and advice where you live

England	NHS Choices website or search the internet for ‘NHS SARC’
Scotland	Archway SARC phone 0141 211 8175
Wales	New Pathways SARC phone 01685 379 310	Ynys Saff Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Northern Ireland	Rowan SARC Northern Ireland phone 0800 389 4424

If you believe you may be at risk of having contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), you should ask your local health provider to test you. You should do this even if you have been tested in Côte d’Ivoire.

Read our advice on returning to the UK after rape and sexual assault abroad

Support organisations in Côte d’Ivoire

It is your choice to let people know. If you are ready to talk about it, these organisations may be able to help you.

• La Ligue [The League] is feminist network which fights against sexual violence against women
  • Telephone: +225 0707 366 164 (open 24/7)
• SOS Violences Sexuelles [SOS Sexual Violence] is a member of Ivorian Network of NGOs fighting against sexual violence of women. They conduct prevention activities and provide psychological support for victims
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Telephone: +225 2723 451 641 (open 24/7)
• Coeur à Coeur Contre les Violences Basées sur le Genre [Heart to Heart Against Gender-Based Violence] facilitates group discussions for victims, witnesses, and rescuers who have experienced trauma linked to gender-based violence. Participation is free and confidential, and in the presence of psychologists
  • Telephone: +225 0141 972 462 / 0707 938 924 / 0708 761 671 / 0779 560 226 / 0709 373 942 (open 24/7)

Disclaimer

This information has been prepared by HMG officials who are not legally or medically trained. It should therefore never be used as a substitute for professional medical or legal advice. It is intended to help British nationals overseas make their own informed decisions. Neither HMG nor any official of the Consulate accept liability for any loss or damage which you might suffer as a result of relying on the information supplied.

Medical information has been provided by The Havens Sexual Assault Referral Centres of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and was accurate at the time of production (02/02/2022).