ZOUHOUR MECHERGUI

Tunisia- Yosra Bouafia, head of the Association of FNARA, thinks that women face problems in accessing justice due to discrimination in the judiciary.

Recalling the 2023 report released by the Observatory for Defense of Right to Difference, Yosra Bouafia said, “The report documented 363 cases of discrimination, including 62 cases against people with disabilities and 86 cases of hatred through social media platforms. According to the report, there was a 16% increase in gender-based discrimination in March 2023, a 23% increase in June 2023 and a 27% increase in October 2023 compared to previous year.

Violence against women doubled

Yosra Bouafia talked about the psychological effects of verbal and physical violence on women. “The Ministry of Women announced that violence against women doubled in 2023 compared to previous years and that 72 women were killed in 2023.”

Emphasizing that most cases of violence and femicide occur in the northwest of Tunisia, where women suffer from poverty, Yosra Bouafia said, “Most women living in the northwest of Tunisia work as agricultural workers and they have no safe working environment.”

‘Our society still refuses that women have rights’

She also commented on the causes of discrimination and violence against women.

“Our society still refuses that women have rights due to the lack of awareness and implementation of laws. Tunisia passed Law 58 in 2017 to tackle domestic violence against women. In 2018, Tunisia passed law 50 on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination. We have laws on elimination of gender-based violence and all forms of racial discrimination; however, these laws are not effectively implemented. The effective implementation of these laws can prevent gender-based violence and all forms of discrimination. As a society, we should strengthen the culture of accountability."