UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 68) The Constitution enshrines the principle of equality between women and men by using both the masculine and feminine forms of the term “citizen”.
Para 69) Article 46 of the Constitution requires the State to protect women’s rights as enshrined in the Personal Status Code and to strengthen and develop them.
Para 70) The Ministry for Women, the Family and Children protects the rights acquired by women even before the promulgation of the Constitution. With a view to ensuring that women have access to its services in both urban and rural areas, 24 regional delegations for women’s and family affairs were established in 2013 to cover the entire territory of the Republic. The Ministry was restructured with the aim of supporting equality of opportunity and gender equality, integrating women into social and economic life, and promoting the economic empowerment of women by creating administrative bodies tasked with monitoring and opposing discrimination and violence against them, an economic empowerment authority and an authority for the advancement of rural women.
Para 74) Since 2012 Tunisia has been implementing a national strategy to combat violence against women adopted in 2008, in cooperation with a number of United Nations organizations and civil society associations. It focuses on four areas: monitoring and assessment of the phenomenon of violence against women; provision of appropriate and diverse services to respond to the needs of women victims of violence: social mobilization and awareness-raising with a view to changing conduct and eliminating the phenomenon of violence against women; and advocacy of a review of the legislation and support for a legal system that prevents and criminalizes violence against women.
Para 75) An Organic Bill aimed at eliminating violence against women was referred to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People for discussion and adoption in July 2016. The Bill, which adopts a comprehensive approach, provides for prevention, deterrence, protection and the establishment of institutional mechanisms. An advocacy and support plan has been developed for the Organic Bill as well as a legal framework applicable to care centres for women victims of violence. Al-Aman shelter for the protection of women against violence was established in 2015 and is run in partnership with civil society. A map of services rendered to women victims of violence and women in situations of vulnerability has been produced and circulated. Steps have been taken to continue implementing the pilot project on “Multisectoral care for women victims of violence in the area of Greater Tunis”, which was launched in 2014. Sectoral protocols concerning care for women victims of violence have been developed (for the sectors of women, the family, childhood, health, justice, the interior and social affairs) as well as a concise procedural manual for their sectoral care. On 25 November 2016, a green telephone line for listening and offering guidance to women victims of violence was launched. A total of 266 calls had been received by the end of 2016.
Para 84) The Centre for Research, Studies, Documentation and Information on Women has implemented numerous initiatives aimed at promoting and protecting women’s rights.

National Report:
Para 68) The Constitution enshrines the principle of equality between women and men by using both the masculine and feminine forms of the term “citizen”.
Para 70) The Ministry for Women, the Family and Children protects the rights acquired by women even before the promulgation of the Constitution. With a view to ensuring that women have access to its services in both urban and rural areas, 24 regional delegations for women’s and family affairs were established in 2013 to cover the entire territory of the Republic. The Ministry was restructured with the aim of supporting equality of opportunity and gender equality, integrating women into social and economic life, and promoting the economic empowerment of women by creating administrative bodies tasked with monitoring and opposing discrimination and violence against them, an economic empowerment authority and an authority for the advancement of rural women.
Para 71) In line with the principle of gender equality, it was decided in 2015 that travel authorization for minors could be granted by either of their parents or by their guardian or legal custodian. Authorization for travel and the issuance of passports had previously been reserved for the minor’s father.
Para 72) Equality was institutionalized in 2016 though the creation of the Peer Council for Equality and Equality of Opportunity, a body that seeks to introduce a gender- based approach to planning, programming, evaluation and budgeting in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination between women and men. With a view to ensuring equality in employment and wages, which is enshrined in the legislation, the labour inspection authorities adopt deterrent measures to address non-compliance by employers with the relevant provisions of the Labour Code.
Para 73) The specifications issued by the Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication require anyone who obtains a permit to establish and run a private radio or television channel to comply with a number of basic principles, including “protection of women’s rights and elimination of stereotypes in the media”.
Para 76) In addition, sectoral protocols concerning awareness-raising were signed by all relevant ministries in December 2016 pending the signing of a multisectoral agreement in due course. The provisions of Decree No. 35 of 2011, which enshrined the principle of parity between women and men in rotation-based electoral lists, helped to increase the number of women in the National Constituent Assembly. However, they occupied only 65 of the 217 seats, that is to say 29.95 per cent. The percentage recorded in the 2014 legislative elections rose to 31.3 per cent of the seats in the Assembly of Representatives of the People. This ratio evolved when vacancies occurred in the Assembly, rising to 34.56 per cent, or 75 seats occupied by women. As a result, the principle of horizontal and vertical parity was enshrined in the electoral bill for the municipalities, which will lead to an increase in the participation of women in local government.
Para 79) In the area of employment, a national programme was established to promote women’s economic initiatives by creating a special credit line and introducing facilitating conditions. In addition, training, assistance and support has been provided for women entrepreneurs. The programme is supervised by a management unit to ensure its compliance with the objectives of the programme to promote equality between women and men that was established in 2016.