Progress in delivering justice for victims of the 2010-11 post-election violence remained slow, with the vast majority of perpetrators of human rights abuses—from across the military-political divide—not yet held accountable. The law confirmed the age of consent for marriage as 18, but child marriage is still common. However, ongoing indiscipline by members of the security services and violent army mutinies demonstrated the precariousness of the country’s newfound stability. Côte d'Ivoire, which has lost vast swathes of forest to cocoa farming, announced in September a policy to devolve responsibility for reforestation to private businesses. Close to 130 detainees escaped in a series of prison breaks in August and September, although at least 42 were subsequently recaptured. Human Rights Watch dénonce les meurtres de partisans pro-Gbagbo à Abidjan. Côte d’Ivoire . Despite some efforts to rehabilitate prisons, detainees still lack adequate access to medical care and inmates suffer extortion by prison guards and fellow inmates. Several former “comzones,” powerful military commanders implicated in serious human rights abuses from 2002 to 2011, were demoted in March. The decree lacks detail on how the law’s implementation will be monitored. The National Assembly and Senate in July and August enacted reforms to modify the composition of the election commission, as required by a 2016 judgment by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The political and military impasse between the Ivorian government and northern-based New Forces rebels resulted in 2006 in continued human rights abuses by all sides, a further erosion of the rule of law, and yet another postponement of elections that were to have taken place in October. Côte d’Ivoire does not criminalize same-sex conduct, although the criminal code establishes higher minimum sentences for public indecency for same-sex couples. The government, however, failed to tackle the root causes of past political violence, notably entrenched impunity, a politicized judiciary, and longstanding political and ethnic tensions. An antidiscrimination provision in Côte d’Ivoire’s new constitution, promulgated in January 2017, does not include protection against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. As of October the CNDH had 31 regional commissions and seven thematically focused departments. World Report 2017 - Côte d’Ivoire. Past government-led forestry reclamation efforts left thousands of evicted farmers’ families without access to adequate food, water, or shelter. The UN’s new independent expert on capacity-building and technical cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire in the field of human rights published his first report in April 2015. Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in 90 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808, Security Force Abuses and Security Sector Reform, Two Years After #MeToo Erupts, A New Treaty Anchors Workplace Shifts, Holding Companies to Account: Momentum Builds for Corporate Human Rights Duties, As Killer Robots Loom, Demands Grow to Keep Humans in Control of Use of Force, Shutting Down the Internet to Shut Up Critics, With Millions Out of School, the Countdown Begins to Get All Children into Quality, Accessible Education, Going to the Bank for Food, Not Money: The Growing Reality of Hunger in “Rich” Countries. People Born with Atypical Sex Characteristics Battle For Informed Consent, The Case for the Right to a Healthy Environment. In a violation of the right to freedom of expression, Sam Mohammed, a businessman and opposition supporter, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment on March 31 for slander and defamation, after he questioned President Ouattara’s Ivorian nationality at a public rally. The justice system lacks independence and judges regularly experience pressure from the executive. At least 15 people died in a wave of mutinies and demonstrations by demobilized soldiers. Côte d’Ivoire is in a period of strong economic growth following nearly a decade of conflict but still faces political and post-conflict challenges around issues related to political consensus, reconciliation and security. On June 26, President Ouattara promulgated a new criminal code that makes the organization of an “undeclared or prohibited” demonstration punishable by one to three years’ imprisonment and a financial penalty. In October and November, at least 10 people were killed during clashes between rival groups for control of territory in protected forests in western Côte d’Ivoire. However, fundamental problems remain, including excessive use of pretrial detention and a lack of judicial independence, particularly in political trials. President Alassane Ouattara has said that no further suspects will be transferred to The Hague. Abidjan’s juvenile detention center is housed inside an adult prison, and children in pretrial detention are often detained with adults. Neither Côte d’Ivoire’s Special Cell nor the ICC have investigated crimes committed during election-related violence in 2000, or the 2002-2003 armed conflict.