Prostitution Prostitution laws in Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire's Penal Code (Law No. 2019-574 of 26 June 2019, amended by Law No. 2021-893 of 21 December 2021) does not make selling or buying sex an offence but criminalises almost everything around it. Publicly soliciting people for debauchery by any means carries fifteen days to three months and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 francs (Article 361). Procuring carries one to five years and 1 to 10 million francs (Article 358), doubled in aggravated cases (Article 359); running or financing a prostitution establishment, or tolerating prostitution in a hotel, bar or club, two to five years (Article 362); and knowingly letting private premises to sex workers for habitual use six months to two years (Article 363). Publicly drawing attention to an opportunity for debauchery, or publishing an advertisement of that kind, carries one month to two years (Article 357).
Legal model
Legal, organisation banned. Selling and buying are legal, but brothels, procuring and organising are criminal offences.
Selling and buying sex are not offences. Public soliciting is (Article 361), as are procuring, running or financing an establishment used for prostitution and knowingly making private premises available to sex workers (Articles 358 to 363). The soliciting offence is the main point at which sex workers themselves are criminalised.[1][2]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Restricted Breach: criminal offence | Selling sex is not an offence, but anyone who, by gestures, words, writings or any other means, publicly solicits or tries to solicit people of either sex in order to provoke them to debauchery faces fifteen days to three months and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 francs (Article 361).[1] |
| Buying sexual services | Legal | No offence of buying sex from an adult was found in the Penal Code. Exciting, favouring or facilitating the debauchery or corruption of minors carries two to five years (Article 360).[1] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Holding, managing, running or financing an establishment whose main or ancillary purpose is prostitution, or habitually tolerating prostitution or the seeking of clients in a hotel, bar, club or other place open to the public, carries two to five years and 1 to 10 million francs, with withdrawal of the licence (Article 362). Knowingly making private premises available to sex workers for habitual use carries six months to two years (Article 363).[1] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | A procurer is anyone who aids, assists or protects another's prostitution or soliciting, shares its proceeds and receives support from a person habitually engaged in it, lives with such a person without justifying their resources, recruits or keeps even a consenting adult for prostitution, or acts as an intermediary: one to five years and 1 to 10 million CFA francs (Article 358). Penalties double for a minor, coercion, a partner or parent, or several offenders (Article 359).[1][2] |
| Advertising sexual services | Illegal Criminal offence | Publicly drawing attention to an opportunity for debauchery, or publishing an advertisement or correspondence of that kind whatever its terms, carries one month to two years and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 CFA francs (Article 357(4)), doubled where a minor is targeted. Public soliciting by writings or any other means is a separate offence (Article 361), and helping another's soliciting is procuring (Article 358).[1][2] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
Selling sex is not an offence, but anyone who, by gestures, words, writings or any other means, publicly solicits or tries to solicit people of either sex in order to provoke them to debauchery faces fifteen days to three months and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 francs (Article 361).[1]
Confidence: medium. Article 361 was read in the Nanan consolidated text, not in the Journal officiel, which could not be opened.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
No offence of buying sex from an adult was found in the Penal Code. Exciting, favouring or facilitating the debauchery or corruption of minors carries two to five years (Article 360).[1]
Confidence: medium. Read in the Nanan consolidated text.
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Holding, managing, running or financing an establishment whose main or ancillary purpose is prostitution, or habitually tolerating prostitution or the seeking of clients in a hotel, bar, club or other place open to the public, carries two to five years and 1 to 10 million francs, with withdrawal of the licence (Article 362). Knowingly making private premises available to sex workers for habitual use carries six months to two years (Article 363).[1]
Confidence: medium. Read in the Nanan consolidated text. Article 363 can reach a landlord who knowingly rents to a sex worker.
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
A procurer is anyone who aids, assists or protects another's prostitution or soliciting, shares its proceeds and receives support from a person habitually engaged in it, lives with such a person without justifying their resources, recruits or keeps even a consenting adult for prostitution, or acts as an intermediary: one to five years and 1 to 10 million CFA francs (Article 358). Penalties double for a minor, coercion, a partner or parent, or several offenders (Article 359).[1][2]
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
Publicly drawing attention to an opportunity for debauchery, or publishing an advertisement or correspondence of that kind whatever its terms, carries one month to two years and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 CFA francs (Article 357(4)), doubled where a minor is targeted. Public soliciting by writings or any other means is a separate offence (Article 361), and helping another's soliciting is procuring (Article 358).[1][2]
Note. Article 357 also lets the court bar a convicted person from managing a press or publishing business. No case applying it to websites was found.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Loi n° 2019-574 du 26 juin 2019 portant Code pénal, modifiée par la loi n° 2021-893 du 21 décembre 2021 Penal Code (Law No. 2019-574 of 26 June 2019), as amended by Law No. 2021-893 of 21 December 2021 art. 357–363 | Section IV of Chapter X (Articles 357 to 363) covers advertising debauchery, procuring, soliciting and prostitution establishments.[1] | 2019 |
Timeline
Sources
- Loi n° 2019-574 du 26 juin 2019 portant Code pénal, modifiée par la loi n° 2021-893 du 21 décembre 2021 (Law No. 2019-574 of 26 June 2019 on the Penal Code, as amended by Law No. 2021-893 of 21 December 2021 (consolidated text)). Nanan (consolidated legal database), 26 June 2019. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Recueil de textes juridiques relatifs aux violences basées sur le genre (VBG) en Côte d'Ivoire (Compendium of legal texts on gender-based violence in Côte d'Ivoire). Ministère de la Femme, de la Famille et de l'Enfant. government · accessed 30 October 2026