The struggle for the rights of women in Tunisia

Sirine Ben Dhiab

The Human Rights appointing the rights are yours simply because you are a human.

Right is a freedom of some kind. This is something which you are entitled as human

beings.The human rights are based on respect for the individual. Their basic principle

is that a person is a moral and rational being who deserves to be treated with dignity.

They are called human rights because they are universal. Whereas nations or

specialized groups enjoy certain rights of their own, the human rights are those that

apply to everyone - no matter who one is and where one lives - simply being alive.

l must first make an assessment of these rights in the country. Nearly four years after

the fall of the Ben Ali regime, one can say that it is quite mixed. There was certainly

quite significant advances, notably with the adoption of a new Constitution in January

- Constitution that included a sizable repertoire and full rights and freedoms in

Tunisia. There were also many changes as regards freedom of the press and

freedom of expression that are now a well-established reality. The Tunisian

Constitution is, in the Arab and Muslim world, the fundamental law that offers more

guarantees for the rights of women. Thus, in its Article 34, the Constitution obliges

the State to guarantee the representation of women in elected assemblies. Article 40

states that "every citizen and every citizen has the right to work in decent conditions

and fair wages." Article 46 specifically dedicated to women's rights, enshrined in the

Constitution protecting gains of women, the principle of equality and the fight against

violence against women:

Article 46. The State undertakes to protect the acquired rights of women, and

supports work to improve them. The State guarantees equal opportunities between

women and men to take on different responsibilities and in all areas. The State is

working to achieve parity between women and men in elected councils. The state

shall take necessary measures to eradicate violence against women.

Since independence, the Personal Status Code (enacted there are more than fifty

years, ed), Tunisian women have rights and legal acquis. It was imposed on the

Tunisian market economically. Female graduates are numerous compared to men.

Equality was established in the Constitution, ensures that parity is guaranteed in the

electoral law. However, I have the uncomfortable feeling that the male sex is not a

women's omnipresence. There are even women who refuse other women as they

are present. This is due to a mentality that must change. We know that the woman is

there, it is strong. It's the wife, sister, mother. It is present everywhere. But we refuse

it to participate fully in the political decision. For example, Jebali (Head of

Government of Tunisia between December 24, 2011 and March 13, 2013, note) has

called a Council of Elders in which there were no women! It hit me because people

like my mother or my grandmother are wise. Even young people can be wise. Why

should women not politically wise? Parity is still not met by the transitional

government. On fifteen ministers, there is only tourism minister and two state

secretaries. There are even female profiles that exceed those of men. It is not a

feminist approach to say this, but pragmatic! I believe in the man as in women. One

must grant women the place it deserves!

But in other areas, there has been no significant progress, we can even say that

these advances were nonexistent. This is the case for example in the fight against

torture and ill-treatment, and this is explained by the fact that there is not really any

in-depth reform of the security forces.

Furthermore, the judicial system still does not play its role as the primary guarantor of

rights and freedoms in Tunisia. He left proliferate and develop the system of impunity

that existed before. There is also a rather alarming phenomenon in Tunisia, which is

violence against women on which the State has failed to always bring all globally

strategies to contain it.

Candidates and parties have so far mostly used slogans such as "social justice",

"development for all", "fight against poverty" without really provide an overview of

what to do to implement these rights. So, one remains at the level of slogans. "

What are the current demands of the women's associations in Tunisia?

First of all, ensure that the new Tunisian democracy, new democratic institutions that

guarantee women's rights and full gender equality. We assume that a democracy

that does not guarantee equality from the outset would be a truncated democracy.

Claims are perfectly clear the next women's associations in Tunisia, particularly the

Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (TANF), the Association of Tunisian

Women for Research and Development and the Collectif Maghreb Egalité 1995.

These associations have resisted at the time of the dictatorship and because they did

not support the dictatorship were considered part of the opposition. Today we see

that their struggle for all these years has not been useless, because they are

currently on the front of the stage. They are currently developing a list of demands

which allow to ensure gender equality and maintaining the rights of women in the

democratic Tunisia, we hope to see emerge from the uprising and the current

movement.

FIDH conducted a mission last week precisely to support the claims of women's

associations and to support advocacy they are doing, at committee level and at the

level of political parties. To ensure first that there are women on their electoral lists in

their lists of candidates.

With women's associations we request parity, knowing that unfortunately we can not

do it the first time. But there will probably initially quotas. The electoral code, which is

in preparation, which is not yet adopted, provides for a quota of about 30% women. I

think that the quota will be 30% as voters and what would be desirable, of course, is

that there is also a quota for women in elected bodies. Parties that call themselves

democratic, can not be worse than the former RCD, the former ruling party

hegemony which had introduced quotas in its ranks than 30% women.

The problems of security and peace , protection of human rights, democracy,

environmental protection and sustainable human development are common issues to

humanity that calls for concerted responses globally with applications local .

"Is anyone Citizen of the World , which recognized its membership in the global

community, behaves in conformity with this identity and calls for that global problems

are the responsibility of democratic global institutions. "

No one will say today that it is against the rights of women, it's already something.

But obviously all parties are on the same wavelength regarding including full legal

equality. Women's associations call, inter alia, that equality before the inheritance is

declared in the new laws, and some parties were against.

Obviously they will have to fight as always. Women must always fight, but today the

Tunisian revolution was done with women, the construction of the Tunisian

democracy will be done with them. Now of course they have to fight, because these

companies still remain patriarchal, the law is inequitable, and practices are also, as in

all other societies of the world, it must be said. Well as always the women must fight

doubly, triply for them. But it is obvious that they are fighting today to fully participate

in the transition process.