Concomitantly to the "16 days of activism against gender based violence," the feminicide continues in my country... The feminist dynamics protests and boycotts the activities of the Ministry of Women’s affairs.

 

             In less than a month, 4 women have been killed in 4 different regions of Tunisia. They were killed only because they were women. And this, amidst a suspicious silence of the State and in the quasi-total absence of official statistics on the crimes of feminicide.

Four years have passed, since the entry into force of Law No. 58-2017 combating violence against women. Yet, the phenomenon of feminicide continues to proliferate. The indifference of specialized units to the risks that threaten the lives and safety of victims, the lack of implementation of means of protection stipulated by law, and the poor response of magistrates to requests for protection made by women are additional reasons for the increase of this phenomenon. 

 

                The protection of women victims of violence is a right guaranteed by the law and a duty incumbent on the State. Since the promulgation of this law, the State does not cease to boast about it in the tribunes and on the big demonstrations while reluctant to apply it on the ground. And in the meantime, women continue to be killed.

 

                 Faced with the inertia and unjustified silence of the State, the undersigned associations of the feminist dynamic:

– Call for a boycott of the activities of the Ministry of Women’s affairs scheduled as part of the international campaign « 16 days of activism against violence against women ». And this, as a protest against the complicit silence and the deficiency of actions to protect women victims of violence.

 

– Express their deep indignation at the statements of the Minister of Women’s Affairs, during the last press conference organized by the Ministry. Her speech reveals her ignorance of women’s lives, which are troubled by the suffering and difficulties they endure when they are victims of  violence and cannot find a shelter to protect themselves, when their requests for protection go unanswered and do not get the response they deserve.

– Question the absence of statistical indicators that the National Observatory to Combat Violence against Women is supposed to provide,

 

– Claim their right to access official figures and statistics related to crimes of violence against women and cases of feminicide. Demand the availability of these information to feminist associations that take care of women victims of violence. And this, so that they can formulate their programs for a better social intervention of care, reinforcing feminist solidarity and the help of survivors of violence,

– Call for a joint evaluation of the National Strategy to Combat Violence against Women and the development of a specific action plan on domestic violence, in order to prevent feminicide

 

– Emphasize the need to allocate a sufficient and appropriate budget that can guarantee the protection of women and help combat gender-based violence in all its forms in order to achieve the effective implementation of Law 2017-58 on combatting violence against women.

 

The signatory feminist associations

Aswat Nissa

Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates

Association femmes et citoyenneté -Kef

Association Beity

Association Amal pour l’enfant et la famille

Groupe Tawhida Becheikh

L’Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche sur le Développement (AFTURD) 

Association CALAM

Association Joussour – Kef