Women rights in TUNISIA : THE ARAB EXCEPTION

[Tounsi]

Tunisia continues to set the bar for Arab women's rights in the 21st century, legalizing abortion and actively combatting domestic violence. As Andrea Barron explains, for anyone who wants to see a renaissance in the Arab world, the remarkable progress of Tunisian women is a success story they cannot afford to ignore.


Tunisia is the only Arab and majority-Muslim country where abortion is legal during the first trimester and where women can obtain government-subsidized abortions without their husband’s permission.

Women do not have to use abortion as a method of birth control like they do in some developing countries. An ambitious family-planning program has successfully reduced population growth through education and making contraceptives readily available.


Women's movement

In 1993, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who succeeded Bourguiba as president, amended the Code of Personal Status to give women more rights. This time an active women’s movement could take much of the credit for the changes.
Tunisia has established a special fund to support divorced mothers.
A wife was no longer required to obey her husband, a special fund was established to support divorced mothers and Tunisian women could now transfer their nationality on to their children.

And Article 207 in the penal code reducing the penalty for honor crimes was abolished.

A man who murders his wife after catching her in an act of adultery used to be guilty of just a misdemeanor. Now, however, he faces life imprisonment for manslaughter. Compare this to the situation in Pakistan, where a brother who kills his sister can escape any punishment at all by “confessing” to his father, who then promptly “forgives” him.

Article 207

Souad Khalfallah, President of the Alliance of Women Lawyers, recalls the opposition from Islamic fundamentalists when Article 207 was eliminated.

“I was a student at the University of Tunis at the time. I can remember the fundamentalists distributing flyers around the campus saying, “Apply the Quranic Law! The CPS (Code of Personal Status) is anti-Quranic.” But the government refused to back down.

Combatting domestic violence

Tunisia continues to raise the bar for Arab women’s rights in the 21st century. This year, encouraged by the National Union of Tunisian Women, the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women and other women’s groups,
The government has launched a full-scale campaign to combat domestic violence.
The government has launched a full-scale campaign to combat domestic violence.

Nabila Hamza from the National Board for Family and Population, which directs family planning and reproductive health programs, is the project’s national coordinator.

The project is conducting the first national survey on the frequency of domestic violence and is working with imams, religious counselors, policemen, judges, doctors, midwives and social workers to raise awareness of family violence and advocate for measures to reduce it.

Rejecting violence toward women

Since January 2007, they have organized workshops in four governorates, or states (Gabes, Kairouan, Monastir and Jendouba), meeting with male and female imams and religious scholars. “Last March in Jendouba, we met with over 60 imams and scholars,” says Hamza.

“People talked about how the wives of the prophet Muhammad, especially his young wife Aisha, were military and religious leaders, and how he turned to them for advice


Setting The Pace

The imams agreed that the correct interpretation of Islam completely rejects all violence toward women. They differed only on whether this violence is an isolated phenomenon or a more pervasive social problem, with some saying they had not seen any evidence of this problem themselves. Some imams have madea commitment to begin speaking against domestic violence in the khutba, or sermon, they deliver in the mosques every Friday.

Can a small country like Tunisia — population ten million — set the pace for the future of women in the Arab world?
According to the 2005 Arab Human Development Report, published by the United Nations Development Program, women’s advancement is “a prerequisite for an Arab renaissance, inseparably and casually linked to the fate of the Arab world and its achievement of human development.”

For anyone who wants to see this kind of renaissance in the Arab world, the remarkable progress of Tunisian women is a success story they cannot afford to ignore

[LeB.Fr]

"THE ARAB EXCEPTION", I think we can argue on that

[ZOHAR]

well done,Tunis
The only officially secular arab country,right?

[Tounsi]

Originally Posted by beirut guy

"THE ARAB EXCEPTION", I think we can argue on that

As far as I know there are no other muslim countries with sch a legislation to protect the womens and their legitimate rights .

What about Lebanon women's rights ?

[Tounsi]

Originally Posted by ZOHAR

well done,Tunis
The only officially secular arab country,right?

No that s the beauty of the Tunisian exception . The state,s religion is Islam but the legislation is based on a modern interpretation of Islam.

ther is in our point of vew no contardiction between modernism tolerance and our religion

[Hassoun]

Originally Posted by Tounsi

As far as I know there are no other muslim countries with sch a legislation to protect the womens and their legitimate rights

U R RIGHT.

[ZOHAR]

if its like that so what about Lebanon?

[Hassoun]

Originally Posted by Tounsi

No that s the beauty of the Tunisian exception . The state,s religion is Islam but the legislation is based on a modern interpretation of Islam.

ther is in our point of vew no contardiction between modernism tolerance and our religion

I agree

[Hassoun]

Originally Posted by ZOHAR

if its like that so what about Lebanon?

In Lebanon,a woman can't pass its nationality on to her Kids for Example.

Honour Crimes don't happen that often in Lebanon,,,and if it happened it is considered a murder.so it's like killing anyone else.U go to Jail.

Politically,Women are in almost every position,we had even Female Candidates for Presidency so we have no problem with this.

[Tounsi]

Originally Posted by ZOHAR

if its like that so what about Lebanon?

I think History plays a major role

you see tunisia during it s whole history was and still is a tolerant land .We had so many invasions and colonisation during the last 3 000 years..

Did you for instance that the oldest synagogue out of Israel/Palestine is in the isand of Djerba. there is still a vibrant tunisians jewsh community and there is a pilgrim each year According to the most accepted theory they came after the destruction of the First temple of salomon by Nab in 530 AD and according to the legend they brought stones from the frst temple ..

Tunisia is really the carrefour of the mEditeranean sea like Sicily for example and that plays a major role .

Evne thoughwe are at 99 % muslim and sunni we are tolerant, open minded and we cherissh our history and our different communities ( blacks, Christians, Jews etc..) because we consider that more ther is diversity within Unity stronger our indentity will be in accordance with our traditions and wa of life .

Again there is no contradiction between our muslim values and modernity or tolerance it s actually one of our muslim values : TOLERANCE

[Tounsi]

Originally Posted by Hassoun

In Lebanon,a woman can't pass its nationality on to her Kids for Example.

Honour Crimes don't happen that often in Lebanon,,,and if it happened it is considered a murder.so it's like killing anyone else.U go to Jail.

Politically,Women are in almost every position,we had even Female Candidates for Presidency so we have no problem with this.

Well that changed in Tunisia recently! and what about polygamy and divorce ?

[ZOHAR]

[Tounsi]

I truly believe that a Society that does not recognize the workforce of the half of it s population cannot reach it s full development potential

[Hassoun]

Originally Posted by Tounsi

Well that changed in Tunisia recently! and what about polygamy and divorce ?

in Lebanon it is way Complicated,different religions,different factions,if u r asking about Muslims,a muslim can marry more than one woman,up to four.but the woman can get divorced if she doesn't wanna live with this situation.

[Aliya]

Well Done, Tunisia!!!! Great to read this

Originally Posted by beirut guy

"THE ARAB EXCEPTION", I think we can argue on that

I thought Lebanese arent 'Arabs'

[Hassoun]

lol
coming from a girl with Arab name :P

Lebanese are A lot of things , one of them is Arabs

[smussuw]

and yet Tunisia is also the only Arab exception where women could be arrested for just wearing the veil in public

Anyway, you cannot say that banning polygamy is compatible with any interpretation of Islam.

[ZOHAR]

Originally Posted by smussuw

and yet Tunisia is also the only Arab exception where women could be arrested for just wearing the veil in public

good law!
Separate religion froma state!

[þopsï]

Great for Tunisia.

[Aliya]

Originally Posted by Hassoun

lol
coming from a girl with Arab name :P

Lebanese are A lot of things , one of them is Arabs

hehe... it's a Hebrew name also.
type it in google and the results are only about Israel or the singer (not that Google decides whats right and wrong )

Ohmygosh... once i said Arab when I was referring to Lebanese people (sorry, im not so good on hisory of people) and i almost got my head bitten off... 'we are phonecians, we are not arabs' lol