Once a haven of peace, stability and prosperity in West Africa, more recently Côte d’Ivoire has experienced protracted political instability which has proved costly for its people.
Although a 2007 peace accord has held armed conflict at bay, Côte d’Ivoire has suffered ongoing turmoil since a first coup d’état in 1999.
In 2002, an armed rebellion split Côte d’Ivoire into the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south. Many lives were lost, and sexual violence was used as a weapon of war by both sides.
According to Human Rights Watch (2007), combatants violated girls and women with impunity. Closely linked with this is the fact that Côte d’Ivoire, according to UNAIDS, has the highest HIV prevalence in West Africa (seven to ten per cent of adults).
The country has large numbers of children at risk, including children orphaned by conflict or AIDS, children used as soldiers, and children trafficked from neighbouring countries for work as house helps, plantation labourers and sex workers.
Only half of girls are enrolled in primary school, compared with two-thirds of boys. Almost a million children, mostly in the north, do not attend school at all.
Côte d’Ivoire is highly fertile and bio-diverse, but is prone to natural disasters, while the political vacuum has led to large-scale deforestation and soil erosion due to illegal and uncontrolled mining.