March 2016—Following the violence of the 2010 presidential elections, many Ivorian women were reluctant to take part in the electoral process after experiencing traumatic events, including forced displacement, rape and killings. These women had come to consider elections as synonymous with trouble.
Women from five cities in western Côte d'Ivoire took to the streets last fall to promote harmony before the October presidential election. Their marches, which involved hundreds of participating women and thousands of spectators, conveyed a central strong message: Regardless of people’s political allegiances, the region is committed to peace.
In Côte d'Ivoire, soccer is a national obsession—as well as a way to educate youth about avoiding conflict and how to take part in peaceful elections.
The escalation of violence after the disputed 2010 presidential elections led to the worst humanitarian crisis in Côte d'Ivoire's history. Violence devastated families across the country, with an estimated 3,000 deaths, numerous arrests and hundreds of thousands forced to flee as internally displaced persons or refugees.
Looking back, it is clear that a lack of understanding of the electoral process and the regulations governing the elections by the youth in these neighborhoods contributed greatly to the violence. This lack of knowledge on their civic rights and responsibilities made them vulnerable to manipulation to perpetrate acts of violence. With the next presidential elections on Oct. 25, 2015, many feared that the situation could repeat itself if nothing was done.
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