When Silence Makes Sense: The Trivialization of Rape in Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Rape was made a criminal offense in Côte d’Ivoire in 1981. However, it was not until the decade of political and military crisis in Côte d’Ivoire – beginning in 2002 – that rape was marked as a matter of public concern. Prior to this decade, and despite criminalization in 1981, rape was shrouded in both institutional and social silence. This article argues that the silence observed during this period reflects the trivialization of rape in Côte d’Ivoire. This argument draws from data including rape decisions reported in the press between 1960 and 2002. It also draws from interviews that were conducted with representatives from national and international institutions, victims and perpetrators of rape, their families and civil society players. Study data were interpreted in the light of Élisabeth Noëlle-Neumann's ‘spiral of silence’ theory. According to this theory, fear of isolation can lead to silencing individuals (or the State) who renounce their own judgement if their opinion contradicts the opinion shared in their social (or political) environment.