Review of the 7th Periodic Report of Tunisia
Minority Rights Group International, in partnership with Tunisian associations Mnemty and Unité dans la Diversité, has submitted a written contribution to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) ahead of the examination of periodic reports of Tunisia at the 84th session scheduled for February 2023.
Our submission provides information on the situation of women and girls belonging to vulnerable groups in Tunisia including women from ethnic and religious minorities, indigenous women, migrant and asylum-seeking women, women living with HIV and lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer + (LBTQ+) women.
MRG’s suggestions of recommendations include:
- Implement article 39 of Organic Law 58/2017 which provides for the creation of a National Observatory for the fight against violence against women and disaggregate data concerning incidents of violence and discrimination against women from minority groups.
- Implement article 5 of Organic Law no.50/2018 and governmental decree 2021/203 which provide for the creation of a National Commission for the fight against racial discrimination and adopt a gender-based approach to look into incidents of discrimination and violence against black women.
- Revise the 2022 electoral law to ensure respect for the principle of gender equality in electoral representation and disaggregate data by ethnicity, religion and language to monitor the participation of minority women in political life and put in place positive measures to promote their meaningful participation.
- Ensure that all women, and particularly women from religious minorities, can marry the person of their choice whatever their religion or belief, in line with the abolition of the 1973 circular, and without facing potential stigmatization from administrative bodies.
- Ensure the right of Amazigh girls and women to learn their language in school by providing Amazigh language classes starting with primary schools in regions where there is a high concentration of Amazigh-speaking citizens.
- Include special measures of protection for migrant women within the future migration strategy, in line with human rights standards and ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
- Ensure that the 2 per cent quota of employability of persons with disabilities is respected in the public and private sectors and use a gender-based approach to monitor gender equality in allocating those quotas.
- Repeal articles 226 and 226 bis of the penal code or at least ensure that they are not arbitrarily used to harass and criminalize LBTQ+ women and girls, particularly trans women and sex workers.
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