Tunisia: Tunisian First Lady says presidency of regional Organization will promote status of Arab women

Tunisia Online News

Tunis, May 7, 2009- In an interview to the Tunisian monthly opinion magazine “Roua”, Tunisia’s First Lady, Mrs Leila Ben Ali said that Tunisia’s presidency of the Arab Women Organization (AWO) for the next two years “will follow up on the implementation of the Organization’s mechanisms and programs so as to give Arab women larger opportunities and wider prospects for participation.”

Mrs Ben Ali, who will act as the Chairperson of the Organization for the next two years, as part of the Organization’s rotational leadership, vowed to promote the status of Arab women while “enhancing their role in building advanced Arab societies.”

Asked about the privileged status Tunisian women enjoy, Mrs Ben Ali said that “the achievements and gains accomplished by Tunisian women are a source of pride for all Tunisians”.

In Tunisia she added, “we longer speak of women’s liberation but of fully fledged partnership.” Tunisian women represent 30% of the working population and can be found in all professions she said, stressing the fact that women represent 33% of judges, 31% of lawyers, one third of university teachers, a quarter of the country’s journalists, two thirds of pharmacists. Moreover 99% of six year old girls attend school and over 59% are university students.

She also highlighted the fact that Tunisian women are also active in political life as they represent 23% of the Chamber of deputies, 19% of the Chamber of Advisors, 27, 6% in municipal councils, including the presence of 5 women as mayors. 20% of diplomatic positions are also held by women added Mrs Ben Ali, who pointed out that more than 10,000 businesswomen are running their own projects.

Stressing the role of civil society in further empowering women Mrs Ben Ali said that nearly 30 associations concerned with women’s affairs are active in Tunisia.




“The New Era has offered women the conditions propitious for a larger participation in all fields of development. Having accomplished significant gains, unprecedented in our cultural and geographic environment, Tunisian women are now a fundamental element in the building and growth of society”, she said.

The interview also focused on Mrs Ben Ali’s responsibilities in the social and humanitarian sectors, especially in her capacity as the president of the BASMA association for the promotion of employment among disabled people.

The Tunisian First Lady also told “Roua” that the media are called upon to adopt amore constructive role in reflecting the genuine role of women in life. She slammed a certain Arab press and television for giving “stereotyped images of women” which discard women’s political, economic, cultural and scientific roles. She said she was fully convinced that “the most pressing task is to continue to change mentalities and mindsets, as a prelude to changing the image of women in society”, in addition to the “responsibility incumbent upon Arab women themselves to change their own image”, she added.

To a question on the scourge of violence against women that plagues many Arab societies, the Tunisian First Lady stressed the importance “to enact tough and binding laws” to discourage such practises. She also insisted on the importance of the role of educational institutions in setting up programs “free from any ideology that belittles women and their status.”

Mrs Ben Ali noted that the education of children is a noble mission which should be carried out to the best of ones’ abilities, given the fact that the future of children is the future of humanity as a whole. Pointing out to the plight of Palestinian children, Mrs Ben Ali said that as a Chairperson of the Arab Women Organisation, she will set up new approaches and programs to promote the rights of Palestinian children.

Morocco: In Morccco, breaking down barriers in the Arab world

boston.com Passport
By Fatema Haji-Taki

May 5, 2009

IFRANE, Morocco -- For the past five days, a group of Moroccan students and young-adult activists from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Tunisia and Algeria have been working intensely together in workshops building bridges among themselves and improving skills for creating interfaith community programs in their own countries.

From working to ease interfaith tensions in Egypt and Yemen to advancing women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, these activists are dedicated to sharing their expertise and acquiring new skills on how to effectively plan events, launch campaigns, and secure funding for their field work to promote religious and political freedom in their countries. The workshops emphasize how to translate their online activism to real-world organizing and leadership skills that participants can put to work in practical ways in their home communities.

Ironically, some participants were unable to attend because their visa applications were not approved in time, or, in the case of a prominent Baha’i activist from Egypt, it became too dangerous for her to travel. The empty seats were a stark reminder of the lack of religious and political freedom in most Arab countries.

Jesse Sage, Nasser Weddady and Lauren Murphy from Hands Across the Middle East Support Alliance, a Boston-based nonprofit, and I organized and are facilitating the conference, “Interfaith Leadership Seminar: From the Virtual to the Real World,” at Al Akhawayn University, an English-language college in Ifrane.

Jewish in the Arab world

During the conference the participants met Moroccan Raphael Elmaleh, believed to be the only Jewish tour guide in the Arab world. He is also a founder of the only Jewish museum in the Arab world in Casablanca. Elmaleh’s passion in life is to research the Jewish heritage of Morocco and restore the synagogues and other sites that were left behind by the Jews more than 40 years ago.

“I’m proud to be a Jew in an Arab country,” he says. On Sunday, all the participants had a chance to visit Fez while he showed us the old Jewish Quarter and the cemeteries and the synagogues left behind. For many, this was the first time they had been exposed to the Jewish heritage in an Arab country. By the end of the day, the bond that he created with the rest of the group was heartening.

At first, he acknowledged he was nervous talking about his work to a group of Arab young people from across the Middle East whom he had never met before. But working with the group for two days has changed his mind and he is excited to talk about how Jews and Muslims coexisted peacefully in Morocco and what that means for the future. During dinner yesterday, all of the participants gave him a standing ovation for his dedication while the Moroccan students sang the national anthem. The expression on Elmaleh’s face was invaluable.

Freedom of the press in Yemen

Unfortunately, on Monday, we also learned that an independent newspaper run by one of the Yemeni participants, Abdullah Abdulwahab Naji Qaid, was shut down by Yemeni authorities. Abdullah is a founding member and the General Activity Supervisor of the al-Tagheer Organization for Rights and Freedom Defense, an NGO based in Yemen. He has previously participated in seminars on religious freedom which addressed discrimination against Yemen's Zaidi community.


(Fatema Haji-Taki/UUSC photo)

Yemeni journalist Abdullah Abdulwahab Naji Qaid

When the news broke, the mood among all of us turned solemn. It was a grave reminder of the difficult circumstances these activists work in and the challenges ahead of them after they return home. As the night wore on, the solidarity between all of us for Qaid’s work was palpable. Many are working to organize a campaign for him while others are planning to spread the word through Facebook, their blogs and other online networks.

As a non-Arab Muslim-American human rights activist, I am humbled by the work of my peers. Through the last few days, I’ve seen them work together, debate their differences, sing and dance together. They have created a support network for each other. They are all invested in each others’ success because they all are committed to religious and political freedom in the Arab world.

What they have experienced together as a team will stay with them for the rest of their lives. As they go back, they will face obstacles and there will be times when they will want to give up. My only hope is they will remember the solidarity they experienced this past week and keep soldiering on because they are the future leaders of the Arab world.

Tunisia: Tunisia hosts Euro-Med forum on violence against women

Maghrebia

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis -- 27/04/09

Women's rights activists from North Africa, the Middle East and Europe met for a groundbreaking regional forum last week in Tunis, where they launched an ambitious programme to combat gender-based violence in the Mediterranean region.

The three day conference, part of the EU-funded Euro-Mediterranean Program for the Promotion of Equality between Men and Women, concluded Thursday (April 23rd) with an action plan to gather data and provide more accurate and comprehensive information to governments, media and non-governmental organisations.

Attendees agreed on a unified approach to collecting information on violence against women and set out guidelines for surveys that participating countries, "especially Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon, intend to conduct".

The workshop recognised the progress made in Tunisia in the field of women's rights, and called on the country to "to finalise a model document" on its achievements, expenses and problem-resolution mechanisms so as to help guide other nations.

The attention of Arab societies to gender-based violence is still far from the desired level, said former Egyptian minister Amina Chafik.

Heightened attention by non-governmental organisations, however, has "made governments pay attention to violence against women", she added.

"We are in need of long breath and a change of mentalities, as this must be made step by step and firmly."

Hassiba Houacine, head of a department in the Algerian Family Ministry, said that Algeria began working up a plan to confront violence against women in 2005. The plan is now in its second stage.

"We are now about to start a new experiment, which is the establishment of a unified information system to monitor violence against women," Houacine said.

In Jordan, meanwhile, physical violence against women includes honour killings and rape, journalist Samar Haddadine told Magharebia.

"The government and civil society organisations have tried to change the existing laws that punish the perpetrators of honour killings," Haddadine said, "but the Parliament rejects that because it is dominated by conservatives and Islamists."

According to Faiza ben Hdid, a European expert in social gender affairs, one in three women is subject to beatings, forcible sexual assaults, or other attacks. In most cases, the assailant is someone known to the victim.

"One in four women is subject to attacks during pregnancy," she noted.

Sarra Jeraya Kanoun, Tunisian Minister of Women, Family, the Elderly and Children's Affairs, said that to "achieve a better understanding of women's rights and protect their future, change must come from the people".

"We need to strengthen people's awareness to take practical and effective steps to establish policies and joint action plans that can produce a tangible and specific shift in the efforts aimed at combating discrimination and violence against women.”

Tunisia: Tunisian women's rights activist Hmida warns against decline in gains

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 21/04/09

Bochra Bel Haj Hmida is a lawyer, women's rights activist, and former president of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women. She has been one of the fiercest opponents of she regards as the oppression of Tunisian women regarding inheritance.

Hmida is also responsible for saving dozens of young people from the gallows in 1984, when she met former president Habib Bourguiba and his wife Wassila and convinced the president to issue a pardon.

Magharebia: In statements earlier this year, you warned against the risk of a decline in Tunisian women's gains. Do you still maintain those ideas? Can you tell us about the nature and source of that risk?

Hmida: Like many human rights activists, I believe that we managed to secure significant gains, starting with the Personal Status Code issued half a century ago, as well as all the supporting and complementing laws, along with the rise in the number of educated girls and family planning policies, in addition to all other measures aimed at enhancing women's position in society.

Nonetheless, those gains remain retractable for a number of reasons.

One: the political and cultural position in the region, wherein women are looked at as second-class citizens. Until 2003 (with the Moroccan Moudawana), Tunisia was the only country where women lived under a law that ensured their political rights. Although many Arab laws were amended with regard to personal status or political rights, and though many countries (e.g. Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia) ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), laws continued to rely on flagrant discrimination between both genders. As such, Tunisian women enjoy a distinctive, almost unique status, which does not exactly serve to reinforce their rights.

Two: Western policies versus the Arab region, the oppression sustained by the Palestinian people at the hands of the occupation, the US invasion of Iraq, the Western stance toward democratisation, are all factors that breed closed-mindedness among Tunisian men and women, and their chauvinist national sense of belonging at the expense of human values. Women's rights are used as a tool of political and national conflict, as well as a tool to impose identity and disseminate backward thinking within society. Women are always first to pay the price.

Three: the state also has a central role in this regard. It has taken key decisions to improve women's conditions, in response to their developing needs across the numerous domains. Yet, women are still used as a marketing tool abroad, while domestically, the cause of women remains dependent on political agendas and relations with religious groups. Further, when the state harps on the issue of women, it is always by way of propaganda. The state therefore never admits to the discrimination faced by women. On the contrary, the state brags that it has given women their full rights. As such, they take measures discreetly.

Also, there is the state's inconsistent and unsuccessful manner of handling Islam on the political, social and cultural levels, in terms of banning the Hijab (veil), followed by the pulling-the-rug policy (all the concessions along the years from the eighties until recently, like allowing a religious radio station and receiving Sheikh Qaradawi as a religious and political icon). All such policies open the door before further retractions and cast doubts over the legitimacy of women's rights.

Four: the Tunisian media, for more than half a century, has never been a venue for discussing matters and changes of interest to society (such as Radio Mosaique or the Internet). Thus, it cannot hold a candle to the impact of Arab satellite channels, which, though diverse, do not play a positive role in entrenching human values, or a free, multilateral, and calm dialogue.

Magharebia: Tell us about the ground you have gained in the battle for equality in inheritance.

Hmida: The campaign was launched back in 1999. We were aware of the difficulty of the situation. However, we've gained a lot of ground. Most importantly, discussing equality in inheritance is no longer a taboo, but a topic often discussed in newspapers, many public institutions as well as within families, many of whom have chosen to take precautionary measures in order to ensure wives and girls dodge damages. Some books were also released on the topic, such as those by Ali Al Mazghani and by Kalthoum Mazio, conducted by the Association of Tunisian Women for Research and Development (AFTURD).

A law was also passed to exempt endowment contracts from registration fees, to the benefit of husbands, ancestors, and descendents. This had an immediate impact on Tunisians; the state can provide us with the relevant figures. We have also given women in Morocco, Algeria and, to some extent, Egypt the green light to discuss the issue.

Magharebia: Is it true that women were the fiercest opponents of the call for equality in inheritance?

Hmida: This is not an easy question to answer. However, we can just say that reactions are not governed by the conventional intellectual and political criteria. In fact, reactions show that inheritance is purely a matter of interests. We have seen secularists, opponents, and women refuse to sign the petition. We have also seen devout men and constitutional individuals eagerly sign the Democratic Women petition.

Magharebia: What arguments do your opponents cite? How do you respond?

Hmida: The arguments are many. The most significant are Sharia and the clarity of Qur'anic verse, which are always cited by the majority of opponents, who share either political or religious views. Others who rely on wrong and unfruitful political calculations claim that the issue is not a priority and that society is not prepared. The truth is that they know nothing about society or its requirements and aspirations. The argument that I personally see as evidence of ill will is the one that pleads that as long as man is responsible for supporting his family, we cannot call for equality in inheritance. The fact of the matter is that women take part in supporting their families, and that changing the law of inheritance presupposes changes in other laws.

[AFTURD] responded to all those arguments in a booklet entitled "Fifteen Proofs in Support of Gender Equality in Inheritance". Magharebia: Although the Personal Status Code was passed more than fifty years ago, women in Tunisia still suffer from violence. Does that mean that the Code, which sought to modernise society, was a failure?

Hmida: The Code was not a failure. The problem of violence extends far beyond the Code and all laws, which, though important, cannot solve all problems, especially violence against women, a global problem present in all countries, even in those that eliminated all forms of legal and political discrimination, such as Finland. Violence is based on the theory of gender discrimination.

A man is entitled to harass a woman. If a woman harasses a man, she is called "shameless". A man, on the other hand, can attack his wife violently to teach her manners. The opposite would be regarded as strange or disdainful. Society is built on discrimination. Abolishing all forms of discrimination, especially in mentalities, is the only way to end the phenomenon of violence. Women all over the world still have a long way to go.

Magharebia: Why aren't there more Tunisian women in leadership positions in politics, unions, and NGOs, which support your call for gender equality?

Hmida: Tunisia has not made much progress in this area, despite progress in the law. It can be traced back to mentalities, to what we ask of women, and to rivalry in the field of politics. The feminist movement itself was not settled through a feminist perspective, but rather through a political, state-like vision. In my opinion, that situation requires adopting bold measures, such as the principle of quota. Also, enhancing discussions even within women's organisations and within society is important so that women's candidacy and voting for women would not be different from men's candidacy and voting for men. In other words, women are not required to be perfect.

Magharebia: In 2003, you encountered vehement censure from conservatives for taking part in a seminar on the rights of homosexuals. You were accused of defending them while turning a blind eye to women's right to wear the hijab. Would you be prepared at present to take part in a similar seminar? Is it true that you do not support women's right to wear whatever they want, including hijab?

Hmida: First of all, I did not take part in a seminar on the rights of homosexuals. I took part in the European Social Forum, which discussed topics including sexual rights. I participated on the issue of gay rights in the Arab region – law and reality. I explained that the law criminalises sexual relationships between individuals of the same gender, and that Arab societies handle this case very hypocritically. This is indeed similar to those who launched a campaign against me then and on other occasions before, and those who support them.

I further explained my position saying that this choice is part of human rights, and is a question of personal choice and individual freedom. We ought to discuss sex-related questions more openly and scientifically so as to confront sexual violence against women and children, achieve justice in that domain, define what one's rights are, and identify the aggressor and the victim. I am prepared to attend such seminars and to fight in order to put an end to criminalising the voluntary sexual relations between adults and abolish all forms of sexual violence.

Hijab is directly related to this topic since it has to do with a woman's body and society's and man's views of it. In that regard, I am completely against all forms of suppression even if practiced against my opponents. I believe that wearing or rejecting the hijab is a matter of personal freedom. This is how I am basically different from zealous proponents of hijab and those who apply human rights unilaterally, and take advantage of the hijab to serve a political agenda that is totally divorced from a woman's individual rights. Also, the hijab is a sign of disdain of women, who it is believed should be hidden.

Tunisia: Feminist university launched

TUNIS (AFP) — A rights group in Tunisia announced Saturday the opening of a "feminist university" to promote women's causes in the north African country where at least one in five women have been beaten.

Launched on the eve of International Women's Day, the non-academic university will be open to young people of both sexes to learn about universal human rights, values of equality and non-discrimination against women.

It will be "a place for getting involved in women's causes," said Sana Ben Achour, president of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD).

Named Ilhem Marzouki University after the leading Tunisian feminist, it will offer a feminist approach to training young people in the fields of justice, health, economy, education, media and human rights, she said.

Founded 25 years ago, ATFD opened the first support centre for battered women in Tunisia.

The non-profit organisation has received a human rights award in France and some 15,000 euros (19,000 dollars) to help its work against all forms of violence and discrimination towards women.

Official figures show about 20 percent of women in Tunisia have been battered, roughly one million out of a population of six million, though experts say this underestimates the problem.

In November, the country's women's affairs ministry started a free hotline for victims of domestic violence to provide support and report incidents.

Algeria: Violence against Women: Tunisian Laws to Protect Algerians?

The President of the National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and the Protection of Human Rights (CNCPPDH), Farouk Ksentini, foresees a more “severe” legislation guarding against violence against women in Algeria. He has proposed a law allowing the start of judicial processes on the simple testimony of a neighbor. Ksentini’s call comes two days before the International Day for Eliminating Violence Against Women, the 25 of November annually. Ksentini believes that “violence against women should be considered with an aggravating circumstance as it is the case in Tunisia.”

-- Le Quotidien d’Oran

Tunisia: Tunisians concerned over divorce fatwa

A religious edict issued by the Mufti of Tunisia regarding divorce has sparked a massive uproar over whether the move threatens gains made by Tunisian women over the last few decades.

The issue began when an unidentified woman solicited advice from Tunisia's Dar El Iftaa, the body of religious scholars which renders religious judgments on public and private issues and which reports directly to the Ministry of Religious Affairs. In a written message to Mufti of Tunisia Kameleddine Jait, the woman said her husband told her "you're divorced" three times.

According to the June 7th issue of the leftist Ettajdid Movement's Tarik Jadid newspaper, the Mufti answered the woman's question, "telling her that she could no longer live as wife with her husband [and] must proceed with the divorce". The article added, "The Mufti gave the woman a certificate to this effect."

The decision would have sparked little controversy in many Muslim countries, where sharia is applied in instances of marriage and divorce.

In a secular society like Tunisia, however, it is very different matter.

Since 1956, divorce – like marriage – has been governed by civil, not religious law. Under the Personal Status Code, divorce is only recognised when the two parties appear before a court of law to validate their separation and agree to the action, and only after the failure of judge-monitored reconciliation attempts between the husband and wife.

An official source in the Dar El Iftaa, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the issue had nothing to do with the laws of the country: "The woman's question was related to a religious matter, and the Mufti's answer was in line with Islamic sharia."

Some Tunisians have interpreted the Mufti's ruling as an attempt to circumvent the civil laws.

"[It is] a threat to the civil gains; something that would open the door for religious interpretations and fatwas at a time when we need to boost the process of modernisation, impose the respect of positive laws, and firmly establish the rule of law," Tarik Jadid editorialised.

"The Mufti of the Republic has no authority in the courts of law, and the Personal Status Code is the decisive factor in divorce issues," lawyer Kahna Abbas confirmed. She said she was concerned that the religious establishment could gradually turn into a source of legislation.

Khadija Cherif, President of the Tunisian Association for Democratic Women, which works to separate religion from state and achieve gender equality, also said she was astonished when she learned about the fatwa.

From his side, Khemais Khayati, a member of the Tunisian Association for the Defence of Secularism, said, "The Mufti of the Republic might have been correct if we had been a state governed by sharia and based on loyalty to faith. However, now that we are in a law-governed state, the Mufti has no right to breach the constitutional provisions that protect the citizens' right to safeguard their rights."

Khayati is worried that citizens "rush to the Mufti" instead of attempting to solve their own problems. "Who knows?" he asks. "They may work under the guidance of a religious state tomorrow."

Mohammed Ali Ennefzi, a young man in his 30s, welcomed the fatwa "because it makes our life easier and relieves us from the troubles of litigation and the problems of the Personal Status Code, which has turned men in Tunisia into slaves to their wives".

Manal El Hammi, a woman working in the pharmaceutical industry, commented sarcastically, "if all married women requested fatwas about the oaths of divorce they hear every week from their husbands, we wouldn't find any Tunisian women in their homes!"

-- Magharebia

North Africa: Unemployment to blame for North Africa protests

RABAT- Unemployment disproportionately affecting young people is to blame for violent protests over the weekend in Morocco and Tunisia that killed one person and injured dozens, observers said.

"Endemic unemployment among young people from the Maghreb (northwestern Africa) is the cause of the protests that broke out in the past few days in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia," said Aziz, an activist from the Moroccan city of Sidi Ifni who asked not to be identified by his full name.

Clashes between security forces and young unemployed protesters erupted on Saturday in the Moroccan fishing port city 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Rabat.

The national unemployment rate stood at 9.7 percent in 2007, according to government statistics, but four out of 10 of these jobseekers were younger than 25.

In Tunisia, the national unemployment rate reached 14 percent in 2007, according to a Tunisian government official.

"Youth unemployment, especially among thousands of graduates in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia is the common denominator in the three countries where demonstrations periodically take place in cities," Khalid Cherkaoui, president of the Moroccan centre for human rights (CMDH), said.

Sidi Ifni saw its first such protests in 2006, young people in the area said.

The violence this weekend left 44 people injured, including 27 police officers, according to hospital sources in Sidi Ifni. CDMH estimates however that between one and five people died as a result of the clashes.

The Moroccan government denies this. "There was not one death," said spokesman Khalid Naciri.

In the southwest Tunisian city of Redeyef, one person was killed in protests on Friday and several were injured.

Here the demonstrations were ignited by allegations that the region's main employer had doctored a recruitment campaign. Protesters believed that officials from the Gafsa Phosphate Company had manipulated a selection process to their own advantage.

In Sidi Ifni, where fishing is the primary source of income, police used force to unblock the port where 89 trucks waited with loads of some 800 tonnes of fish.

The blockade had begun May 30 when the results of a recruitment campaign were unveiled and three successful candidates randomly picked. After the draw, around 120 angry youths moved towards the port and blocked operations, said socialist deputy Abdelwahab Belfkih.

Another elected official, Lahcen Achouad, said the "demands of the young people are socio-economic in nature. They are asking for an equitable distribution of the city's wealth."

-- Middle East Online

Tunisia: Currently 18,000 Women Heads of Enterprises in Tunisia

According to a recent report, there are currently some 18,000 women heads of enterprises in Tunisia .

The report which was presented on Wednesday on the occasion of a symposium of Tunisian women heads of enterprises, was jointly carried out by the International Foundation of Financing and Co-operation, and the Arab Women Centre for Training and Research (CAWTAR).

The document marks the final stage of a research and opinion poll conducted among businesswomen and includes data and indicators pertaining to investment and potentialities of businesswomen's organizations and associations.

The report is a useful tool for decision-makers, insofar as it presents reliable information which might help them enhance women's participation in investment and boost their role in the economy.

In her opening address, the Minister of women's affairs, children, family and the elderly, Mrs Sarra Kanoun Jarraya, stressed the initiatives and legislation promoting women in Tunisia , saying that the aims of the 11 th plan were to raise the part of active women in Tunisia 's population to 28,7% by 2011.

Mrs. Carmen Niethammer, director in charge of the Foundation's program for gender and business activities, presented a paper on businesswomen in the MENA region.

In her presentation, Mrs Niethammer shed light on the role played by businesswomen in economic growth, pointing out the urgent need to carry out studies on the situation and needs of businesswomen which should be considered by decision-makers, financial institutions and investment-support organizations as references.

-- Tunisia Online

Tunisia: Meeting promotes female journalists in union leadership

A Tunisian journalist gives a presentation at a recent meeting in Tunis organised to advocate women journalists' participation in professional unions.

At a recent meeting in Tunis, women journalists from across the Maghreb announced an upcoming campaign called "Women in Union Leadership". The initiative aims to encourage women to participate in unions and to "promote to decision-making positions inside these unions through training, networking, communication and formation of pressure groups".

The forum, held April 17th-19th, was organised by the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Attendees participated in a series of dialogues in which women journalists representing 14 Arab countries and Iran related their experiences in unions and leadership.

"The message of our meeting is clear – to encourage women journalists in the Arab region to join unions, to take part in their elections, and to run for leadership positions," Algerian Sarah Bouchetob told Magharebia.

Bouchetob, who is responsible for Arab world projects, said that she is already optimistic about developments in Tunisia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. She added that she looks forward to the next elections in Algeria, "so that we may see whether we have advanced in a good way".

At the last conference of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists held in January, three out of nine victors were women. In Morocco last March, five women acceded to the 19-member panel at the head of the journalists' syndicate.

Many attending the conference said, however, that conditions of female journalists are still below expectations in some countries. Journalist Adel Bouhlal said Tunisia has women who "enjoy enough professionalism and competency to lead and make decisions", but there has yet to be a single woman editor-in-chief, in either official or privately-owned newspapers.

Mounia Belafia, Vice-Secretary-General of the Moroccan National Press Syndicate, told Magharebia there are still "pockets of resistance" in Arab society keeping women from these positions of authority. Opponents of gender equality attempt to minimise what they view as risks by ideologically exploiting women, she added.

"There are many calls... to make women wear veils," she said, "but [also] calling for allowing women to take off their clothes in order to exploit them. We find ourselves with a choice of two traps; the first is the veiling and hiding, and the other is pornography and sexuality. Both are different forms of extremism," she said.

The meeting concluded with the identification of a set of goals and principles on which the journalist unions and syndicates will work in co-operation with the FIJ. The most prominent of these goals is "the need to increase the representation of women journalists in leadership positions in the unions and associations, with the adoption of a quota system. This is in addition to the enhancement of abilities of women journalists in unions through training."

Participants in the meeting agreed on the need "to involve male colleagues in all gender-related issues, enhance the union policies and trends in order to guarantee union rights of women journalists, and to protect them against all forms of violence and harassment they face in their work. This is in addition to ensuring the integration of the social gender approach in collective bargaining and common agreements."

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis

Tunisia: Arab conference targets improving women's participation in politics

A regional seminar on "Gender and Local Governance" held March 14th in the Tunisian capital highlighted the close link between "economic and domestic development and women’s participation in local politics".

Forum attendees from Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco and Bahrain also recommended organising an awareness-raising campaign for men concerning women’s right to play a significant role in local political affairs.

"The aim of holding this round-table meeting is to create an opportunity for exchanging experiences [and] to support women’s role in local governance among countries covered by the project and other countries outside the project such as Bahrain, Morocco and Kuwait," said Dr. Sekina Borai, head of the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR), which held the seminar in collaboration with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

Borai said, "As the Arab woman is currently incapable of participating effectively on the central level, at least, we aspire to achieve participation on the local level."

Allowing women to learn about what goes on within their region, she added, is "a straightforward route toward transparency and good governance".

Conference participants from Maghreb countries shared experiences and strategies about how the governance project is working. In Morocco, the Third Millennium Organisation is "working to open national dialog on democracy and assisting women to achieve broader participation on the national level", said Mohammad Balkoh.

Meanwhile, in Algeria, Faisal Bin Halilo of an NGO in Constantine, asserted that the country's legal and constitutional arsenal does not in any way hinder women’s participation in political life. In real life, however, women’s participation in local and central elections is slim and their voting turnout is on the decline, compared to the early years of independence.

Among the causes, he said, is an educational system that places women in an inferior position: "Our students still read in their textbooks, 'Father is in the field, and mother is in the kitchen'". Bin Halilo added that in Algerian politics, the fear of extremists has superseded women's issues.

The quota system, whereby a percentage of local council or Parliament seats is allocated to women, has been a bone of contention in countries represented at last week's conference. The majority of attendees rejected including such a provision in their countries' constitutions, arguing that it imposes a ceiling that women cannot exceed and is against Arab constitutions which emphasize equality among genders. "The quota system is part of positive discrimination," said Fawzeya Abdullah, a candidate in the 2006 Bahraini parliamentary elections.

To effectively boost Arab women's political participation, the general political environment and the status of freedoms in the Arab world must be considered, according to Tunisian economist Azzam Mahjoub. One of the first academics to compile a report on the subject, Mahjoub noted that in the Arab region, there is a high level of illiteracy among women and their presence in the workforce is minimal.

"The Arab woman," Mahjoub added, "is the victim of discrimination in male-dominated societies, and also suffers from the use of religion to justify such discrimination."

At the conclusion of the Tunis seminar, participants said they will work with decision-makers to set out strategic plans for improving women's participation in local governance.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis

Tunisia: Press freedom organisations claim Tunisian activist was assaulted

Tunisian journalist and press freedom advocate Sihem Bensedrine and husband Omar Mestiri were allegedly assaulted by police early this month when entering Tunisia from Europe. The government denies the claims, but human rights groups are persisting in their accusations.

Press freedom advocacy groups have condemned the Tunisian government for the alleged March 3rd assault of two well-known journalists on their re-entry into the country.

According to a statement issued the day of the incident by the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC), Sihem Bensedrine and husband Omar Mestiri were "detained for six hours by Tunisian customs, and were subjected to violent physical assault from elements of political police."

The OLPEC statement reported that upon the couple's arrival at the port of La Goulette in the northern suburbs of Tunis, they were subjected to a thorough search by customs agents and required to surrender their laptop computers. Bensedrine and Mestiri refused, claiming it was an "oppressive measure" without the proper court order. When the couple persisted, the report claims they were physically assaulted by police.

The Tunisian government responded on March 4th, denying all allegations of assault.
An official source, wishing to remain anonymous, told Reuters the two journalists "were not subjected to any mistreatment ... or to any violence."

"On the other hand," the official continued, "Mrs. Bensedrine's behaviour towards customs officers was aggressive and violent during this ordinary customs procedure."

According to the official, police ordered the couple to open their bags after they triggered detection systems at the port. "After the inspection, the luggage was put back in the car and nothing has been seized," the official added.

However, the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) claimed in a statement issued on March 5th that "Bensedrine sustained severe bruises and a torn ligament in one arm."

Sihem Bensedrine is Secretary-General of OLPEC and spokesperson of the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT). Her husband, Omar Mestiri, is managing editor of online newspaper Kalima.

Rohan Jayasekera, chair of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG), said, "I find it hard to believe that just days before International Women's Day, the government of Tunisia would sanction such a vicious attack on a woman."

Bensedrine has come under fire in Tunisia by pro-government weekly El Hadath, which has accused her and other human rights activists of treason. The articles were condemned by numerous local and international organisations, including the International Federation for the Defence of Human Rights and the International Observatory for the Protection of Defenders of Human Rights.

In a statement issued March 3rd, the National Union of Tunisian Journalists condemned the actions of some Tunisian newspapers, claiming their practices violate the law and the journalist's code of ethics by "cursing and defaming national Tunisian figures mentioned by name".

The Union said the critical articles published by El Hadath are punishable under the Press Law, article 50 and other articles on defamation, and asked public prosecutors to examine lawsuits filed against the authors and publishers.

Sihem Bensedrine was awarded the Danish Peace Foundation's 2008 Peace Prize for her defence of human rights, democracy, and freedom of expression. She was jailed in 2001 for her harsh criticisms of the Tunisian regime, and has long been known for her campaigns against what she deems human rights abuses in the country.

-- Jamel Arfaoui in Tunis, Magharebia