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Tunisia: Unfinished Rights Business

New Government Should Suspend Abusive Laws

(Tunis) – Tunisia’s new government, approved by Parliament on February 27, 2020, should make human rights a priority, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should protect fundamental rights in eight key areas: ending criminal…
A general view of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People in Tunis, Tunisia, May 2016.
News

Tunisia: Repressive Laws Cloud Rights Gains

Lack of a Constitutional Court Hinders Rights

(Tunis) – Tunisia still faces numerous hurdles to protecting its human rights gains nine years after Tunisians ousted the authoritarian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2020.    The…
A Tunisian woman walks past a graffiti that reads "Freedom is a daily practice" in Tunis April 26, 2011.
News

Tunisia: Parliament Should Back Gender Equality in Inheritance

Government-Approved Draft Law Sent to Chamber

(Tunis) – Tunisia’s parliament should take the landmark step of granting women equal rights in inheritance, Human Rights Watch said today. President Beji Caid Essebsi formally submitted a draft law to parliament on November 28, 2018,…
A Tunisian woman holds up a flag during a march to celebrate International Women's Day in Tunis March 8, 2014. © 2014 Reuters
News

Tunisia: Ennahda Rejects Inheritance Equality

Parties Should Back Moves to End Gender Discrimination

(Tunis) - The official rejection on August 26, 2018 by Ennahda, one of Tunisia’s main political parties, of a presidential initiative to establish full equality between men and women in inheritance is a blow to women’s rights in the…
Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi, Islamist Ennahdha Party leader Rached Ghannouchi, and Ennahdha Party vice-president Abdelfattah Mourou wave to the crowd on May 20, 2016 at the opening of Ennahdha's three-day congress in Tunis. ©2016 Fethi Belaid/AFP
News

The Middle East's Women Are Championing Their Own Change

Despite setbacks for women’s rights around the globe in 2017, some of the most exciting reforms and positive momentum emerged from the Middle East and North Africa. Tunisian women have new protections against violence. Migrant domestic workers in…
Demonstration outside Parliament on December 6, 2016, with women in white dresses and wrapped in bandages, calling for the repeal of article 522 of the penal code.
News

Top 5 Reforms Middle East Governments Can Make in 2018

Respond to Youth Demands, Gain Respect in the World

(Beirut) – Middle East and North Africa (MENA) governments can respond to the popular demands of the region’s youth for reform by implementing five changes in 2018 to arbitrary, outdated legal systems that infringe upon citizens’ rights and liberties,…
Demonstration outside Parliament on December 6, 2016, with women in white dresses and wrapped in bandages, calling for the repeal of article 522 of the penal code.
News

One Step Forward, One Step Back in Tunisia

Progress on Women’s Rights; Regression on Justice

On September 14, Tunisia took a step forward by abolishing a 1973 Ministry of Justice directive prohibiting marriage between a Tunisian woman and a non-Muslim man. But the news wasn’t all good this week – a day earlier parliament…
A Tunisian woman holds up a flag during a march to celebrate International Women's Day in Tunis March 8, 2014. © 2014 Reuters
News

Middle East on a Roll to Repeal 'Marry the Rapist' Laws

Rape-marriage exoneration laws are relics of the colonial past. It's time to leave them there.

In recent weeks, the Tunisian, Jordanian, and Lebanese parliaments have repealed provisions in their penal codes that allowed rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims. Provisions like these, largely colonial-era relics, remain on the books…
Demonstration outside Parliament on December 6, 2016, with women in white dresses and wrapped in bandages, calling for the repeal of article 522 of the penal code.
News

Tunisia: Landmark Step to Shield Women from Violence

New Law Offers Protection, but Needs Funding

(Tunis) – The law on violence against women, including domestic violence, approved by the Tunisian parliament on July 26, 2017, is a landmark step for women’s rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Tunisian authorities should…
A Tunisian woman holds up a flag during a march to celebrate International Women's Day in Tunis March 8, 2014. © 2014 Reuters
News

Tunisia: Landmark Action on Women’s Rights

First in Region to Lift Key Restrictions on International Treaty

(Tunis) – Tunisia has officially lifted key reservations to the international women’s treaty, an important step toward realizing gender equality, Human Rights Watch said today. The Tunisian government should next ensure that all domestic laws conform to…
Report

A Revolution for All

A Revolution for All Women’s Rights in the New Libya Summary I. Background II. Women’s Political Participation The Right to Participate Election …
News

UN Human Rights Council: Adoption of the Outcome of Tunisia's UPR

Oral Statement Under Item 6

Human Rights Watch welcomes the Universal Periodic Review report on Tunisia, which includes recommendations to improve the situation of human rights in a context of democratic transition. Although Tunisia’s government accepted many of these…
News

Letter to Members of the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly

September 13, 2012     Dear Members of the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly,   Human Rights Watch, an independent, nongovernmental organization, is writing to urge you to amend those articles of the draft constitution made public by the…
News

Tunisia: Fix Serious Flaws in Draft Constitution

Provisions Inconsistent With Human Rights

(Tunis) – The Tunisian National Constituent Assembly should modify articles in the draft constitution that undermine human rights, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the members of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA). The provisions that…
News

Tunisia: Affirm Human Rights in New Constitution

Parties’ Responses to Questionnaire Shed Light on Their Stances

(Tunis) – Many parties competing in Tunisia’s election for a constituent assembly on October 23, 2011, believe that basic freedoms should be protected, but they disagree about circumstances under which freedoms could be limited, Human Rights Watch said in…
News

Tunisia on Board with Women’s Rights

Women’s rights activists in Tunisia have scored some major successes since the Jasmine Revolution that ousted President Ben Ali in January 2011. Just a few months later, in April 2011, Tunisia’s electoral commission adopted a gender parity law that…
News

Tunisia: Government Lifts Restrictions on Women’s Rights Treaty

To Complete Process, Revise Laws to Remove Discriminatory Provisions

(Beirut) ─ Tunisia’s lifting of key reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is an important step toward gender equality, Human Rights Watch said today. The Tunisian government should next…
News

Tunisian Election Law Gives Women Equal Chance

In the next few months, Tunisian women may have a real opportunity as candidates and voters to participate in the country's new, post-revolution, electoral system. With hope, this will lead to more women in decision-making roles in government and a chance…