Tunisia-Violence against women:Zoghlami underscores that state’s role should not be merely occasional

Speaking to Tunisie Numérique, President of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, Naila Zoghlami, confirmed that civil society is playing its role in addressing the issue of violence against women, which occasionally results in deaths, either by a spouse or in fatal truck accidents.

Zoghlami condemned the absence of a clear strategy from the state to protect women from these frequent incidents. She remarked that the concerned authorities’ reaction to these disasters has been inadequate, emphasising the reduction in women’s roles in the political field and decision-making centres, which would otherwise strengthen laws protecting women.

In this context, she pointed out that the Ministry of Women has not allocated an adequate budget to address these incidents, particularly fatal truck accidents, to prepare rural paths, and to implement safe transportation for women operating in agriculture, along with providing them with social coverage that ensures treatment and retirement.

The spokeswoman stressed that the association is working through various workshops on solutions that will advocate for the Ministry of Women on the issue of femicide.

Concerning Law No. 58 of 2017, the head of the Democratic Women’s Association noted that incidents of femicide should not be lowered to mere statistics. The association has drawn up a map to identify the women impacted, their numbers, and social categories, in light of the absence of official data and numbers linked to violence against women and its types, further aggravated by the lack of coordination with civil society.

Our speaker expressed that one of the most significant measures to prevent such incidents and address the phenomenon is to focus on education and learning to fight violence. She called for developing a clear strategy with an adequate budget to protect and rehabilitate women who have survived such violence and to strengthen the role of the Ministry of Women, particularly through coordination between different ministries.