ZOUHOUR MECHERGUI

Tunisia- On Sunday, a man killed his wife, mother-in-law and uncle-in-law in Tunis, Tunisia’s capital, after his wife filed a divorce case against him.  The murders of the woman, her mother and her uncle spark anger in Tunisia.

According to the local reports, the woman had filed a criminal complaint against her husband after receiving death threats from him. However, police officers did not launch an investigation because there were “no traces”.

The Association of Democratic Women of Tunisia (ATFD), an independent feminist organization based in Tunis, has released a written statement condemning the incident. “The primary reason for the increase in violence against women is the patriarchal mindset,” said the statement. “The second reason is that the authorities do not take the necessary precautions to prevent violence.”

 According to the statement, 25 women were killed in Tunisia in 2023. In the statement, the ATFD calls on Tunisian people to join a march to be held today at 9pm from the Listening and Guidance Center for Women Victims of Violence to the Municipal Theatre of Tunis.

‘Perpetrators must be given deterrent penalties’

NuJINHA spoke to women activists in Tunisia about the increase in violence against women and femicide. “Femicide is a widespread phenomenon in Tunisian society,” said Faten Abdel Kafi, a feminist activist in Tunisia. Recalling the killing of Rebekah Al-Sharni by her husband, she said, “Tunisian women are killed every day because Law No. 58 on the elimination of violence against women in Tunisia fails to protect women. When women are subjected to violence, they go to police stations to report it; however, they are not listened to. Police officers do not believe in women survivors of violence. Perpetrators must be given deterrent penalties to eliminate violence against women.”

The Listening and Guidance Center for Women Victims of Violence provides psychological and legal support to women survivors of violence, feminist activist Lilia Al-Alawini told NuJINHA. “Every day, women survivors of violence apply to the center. We do our best to support them so that they can rebuild their lives. The government should provide financial support to women survivors of violence so that women can achieve their economic independence.”