•  

Ghadeer Al-Abbas

News Center_violence against women is deeply rooted in Libyan society, extending beyoud the home and community to find support in political and institutional ideologies built on gender discrimination. This discrimination has become a foundation for justifying violence, while the profound divisions within the structure of the state have produced a repressive system that women find difficult to escape.

Fragmented laws and policies, dominated by a patriarchal mindset, have reproduced a culture of violence and excluded women from public life. With the rise of religious and gender-based extremism, women have been dragged into a war that is not theirs, subjected to multiple forms of violence, while the state has confined them within legal restrictions that limit their social and political presence.

A Fragmented State and Deep Disappointments

Since 2011, Libya has sunk into severe political and security fragmentation. Power is divided among competing governments, armed groups, and a fractured security apparatus. In the east, Khalifa Haftar imposes a strict military model, while in the west, the Government of National Unity led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah operates under the dominance of militias. This fragmentation has normalized impunity and transformed the country into a battleground for international and commercial conflict. Under these conditions, violence against women has become a tool of control, as tribal politics define women through loyalty, making access to justice nearly impossible. Among the most visible forms of repression are travel bans and coordinated online smear campaigns.

 

Women Between Displacement and Resistance

The tragedy of Libyan women is most visible in the heart of conflict and division. Since the fall of the regime, women have faced mass displacement from cities such as Tawergha, Murzuq, and Sabha, where thousands of families lost shelter and safety. According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of internally displaced people and migrants rose to over 858,000 at the beginning of 2025—an increase from the previous year—with women and children representing around 22%, highlighting their vulnerability.
Yet despite this, women did not retreat; they participated in mediation efforts between tribes and armed groups and provided psychological and social support to the displaced. Today, they raise their voices, demanding meaningful participation in any national stabilization process.

 

Escalating Violence in Libya

As Libya has fractured into competing zones of influence, gender-based violence has become one of the most ignored and escalating phenomena. Violence has expanded across homes, streets, detention centers, and camps, while political and security priorities have pushed this issue to the bottom of the agenda. Amid shifting power dynamics, women and girls bear the greatest cost of instability. The absence of a constitutional framework protecting women’s rights or punishing perpetrators adds further danger.

Field testimonies and human rights reports show that violence is no longer limited to traditional forms; it now transcends social norms and family disputes, taking more complex shapes. The collapse of security structures, armed group crimes, and economic pressures have intensified physical, psychological, and sexual violence. These acts are often justified under the guise of “family privacy,” pushing many survivors into silence for fear of social stigma.

 

Alarming Indicators in 2025

Data from the Information and Documentation Center of the Ministry of Interior in eastern Libya reveal worrying levels of violence, affecting not only women but also men and children. Over the past three months, the center recorded:
– 28 unexplained deaths
– 127 intentional homicides
– 33 additional killings
– 7 reported child sexual assaults
– 26 kidnappings

There were 224 cases of “severe physical harm,” compared to 161 cases of “minor physical harm.” Requests for clarification regarding these categories and gender-specific data were refused, reflecting an atmosphere of secrecy surrounding official information.

 

Violence Rooted in the Family Structure

Tracking individual cases shows that violence does not always begin with a direct physical act; it is rooted in a social structure that reproduces traditional roles and legitimizes male dominance in daily life. This interwoven mix of cultural, economic, and political factors makes combating violence a complex task requiring comprehensive reforms, including: stronger legislation, broad awareness campaigns, improved psychological and social support services, and empowering institutions capable of professionally handling offenders.

According to an Amnesty International report submitted to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (June 2024), widespread violations and ineffective legal frameworks place Libyan women among the most vulnerable groups across the country.

 

Violence in Detention Centers

Libya is a major transit point for migrants and asylum seekers, many of whom—especially women and girls—face increasing risks of violence and exploitation. Sexual violence, rape, psychological abuse, and emotional coercion are widespread. Sexual assaults are rarely isolated events; migrant women and girls suffer repeated abuse by multiple perpetrators. Because these populations are transient, collecting comprehensive data on the violence they face is extremely challenging.

Behind the walls of Libya’s detention centers, silent tragedies unfold. Reports from the UN and international human rights groups documented in 2025 the discovery of bodies showing signs of torture in detention sites in Tripoli, along with tools indicating systematic physical abuse and enforced disappearances. These revelations confirm what survivors and eyewitnesses long described: inhumane conditions where torture is used as a tool of control and humiliation. In other centers—especially those holding irregular migrants—testimonies of rape, forced labor, and extortion are common.

 

Laws of the One-Man State

Libya lacks a comprehensive legal framework addressing gender-based violence. Despite repeated promises of legal reform, current legislation fails to protect women, instead reinforcing discrimination and obstructing justice. The draft law on preventing violence against women, proposed in 2017, remains stalled, while existing laws contain alarming loopholes.

Libyan law defines rape as an “offense against honor and morals,” a narrow moralistic framing that ignores the violation of bodily autonomy and human dignity. The law also fails to criminalize marital rape, effectively normalizing one of the most widespread forms of domestic abuse. Worse still, allowing perpetrators to escape punishment by marrying their victims turns the law into a tool for silencing and coercing women.

These gaps reveal not just legislative weakness but a legal system prioritizing male reputation over women's rights. Women are often blamed for the violence inflicted upon them, pushing many into silence for fear of stigma. Women's support centers are scarce, and psychological or legal support mechanisms are unclear.

Violence is not limited to private spaces; it is practiced publicly and systematically through digital media, where smear campaigns and extortion target women to intimidate and silence them. Despite academic and parliamentary discussions, proposed reforms remain ink on paper. Deep political divisions block meaningful legislation, while international support often remains purely advisory.

 

Religiosity and Increasing Restrictions

Political and religious authorities in Libya have not only obstructed laws protecting women but have also launched smear campaigns and restrictive fatwas. Among the most notable is the 2023 fatwa by the Libyan Dar al-Ifta banning the term “gender,” claiming it contradicts religious values.

Under these pressures, a planned memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and UN Women—aimed at advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda—was canceled. Political and religious pressure thus became a tool to undermine efforts to build legal and institutional frameworks supporting women’s participation and rights.

Additionally, a controversial decision by Interior Minister Emad Trabelsi in November 2024 called for imposing the hijab on women and banning gender mixing in public spaces under the pretext of “moral preservation.” He also urged reactivating the morality police to monitor public behavior and online content.

These decisions lack legal basis and violate fundamental human rights such as freedom of movement and personal choice in clothing, except where specific laws mandate institutional dress codes.

 

The 2025 Elections: What Did Women Achieve?

For years, women’s political participation has been a contentious issue in Libya, especially after the introduction of the quota system in Libya’s electoral law. The law allocated 31 seats to women out of 200—just 16%, a sharp decline from the previous 30% quota. This reduction was a significant setback for women seeking greater political presence.

Although the quota was intended to guarantee representation, lowering the percentage revealed resistance to women’s empowerment and a desire to limit their presence to symbolic levels. Many activists condemned the system as discriminatory, preventing women from being equal partners in political life.

In the 2025 elections, women secured seats close to the minimum 16% threshold. The quota ensured their presence but also capped it, preventing any significant gains. As a result, women’s presence in parliament remained largely symbolic.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s 2025 report, Libya ranked 139th globally in women’s representation—an extremely low position revealing the state’s failure to empower women politically.

Libya’s experience shows that quotas alone are not enough: real change requires political will to allow women a meaningful role in shaping the nation’s future.

 

The Power of Weapons Above the Law

In early 2023, many Libyan women were shocked by new airport procedures. Women traveling without a male guardian were required to fill out a special form explaining the purpose of their solo travel and listing previous trips. Freedom of movement, protected by Libya’s constitutional declaration, suddenly became conditional.

At Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, activists, journalists, and students waited in long lines, facing intrusive questions not asked of men. Some were prevented from traveling; others had to cancel or reroute their trips. As the procedures spread to other airports, the issue became a national controversy.

Human rights organizations condemned the measures as discriminatory and unlawful. Despite official attempts to justify them as "regulatory," public outrage continued to grow.

In Libya, fundamental rights—especially for women—have become subject not to law, but to security forces and the power of armed groups.

 

Targeting Female Activists: Violence Spreads into Public Space

Since 2014, attacks against female activists in Libya have expanded dramatically. Violence now includes killings, kidnappings, torture, and cyber threats. Journalists, politicians, and human rights defenders have all been targeted.

The fate of Parliament Member Siham Sergewa, abducted in 2019 from her home in Benghazi, remains unknown. Authorities have taken no meaningful action to uncover her whereabouts.
Similarly, high-profile activists such as Salwa Bugaighis were assassinated, while in November 2024, content creator Khnasa Mujahid was shot dead in her car in Tripoli. Investigations remain stagnant, reinforcing impunity.

Online spaces have also become battlegrounds, with activists facing coordinated smear campaigns, threats, and hacking attempts.

Many women withdrew from public life for safety, while others continued their activism from exile. As a result, the political and human rights landscape is increasingly devoid of strong women’s voices, weakening democracy and civil rights.

 

A Strong Presence in Vital Sectors

Women have become essential workers in key sectors. Data from 2025 show that 43% of education sector employees are women, while over 70% of health sector workers are women—outnumbering men significantly.

Their presence extends across teaching, administration, and research, contributing directly to community development and public welfare. However, this social presence is not matched by political empowerment: leadership positions remain dominated by men.

Libyan women prove daily that they are the backbone of vital sectors, yet turning this strength into political power remains a major challenge.

 

The Core Issue: Women’s Freedom and the Democratic Middle East vs. the Patriarchal State

Libyan women are among the groups most harmed by legal restrictions under the guise of “protection” or “social oversight.” Human rights organizations describe these practices as direct assaults on fundamental rights, used to reinforce patriarchal dominance.

Even the international community has failed to curb the power of armed groups; in fact, the UN Security Council recently eased restrictions on arms entering Libya, raising fears of escalating conflict. This highlights a reality: Libya’s political approach prioritizes security and militarization over legal reform and human rights.

The Libyan experience resembles that of women in Afghanistan. In Libya, a woman can be stopped at a checkpoint for traveling alone; in Kabul, a girl may need a niqab to enter a market. The contexts differ, but the message is the same: women’s bodies and freedom have become battlegrounds for patriarchal states.

Misogyny is not merely a social issue—it is a core structural element of crises across the region. States maintain their power by fueling anti-women sentiment.
Therefore, the state itself becomes a central actor in violence against women.

By 2025, the struggle of Libyan women is crystallizing as a confrontation with the mindset produced by the patriarchal state. Real solutions require building a democratic society founded on equality, coexistence, and mutual representation.

A democratic system led with and by women can transform the Middle East into a new space—one that heralds an era of women’s freedom and dignity