ZIHÛR EL-MEŞRIQÎ

Tunisia- Amira Yacoubi, Tunisian feminist, activist, and sociologist, answered our questions about the lives of women in Tunisia and the appointment of ten women in the new government. “Tunisia is not a safe country for women.”

You are known as a women’s rights defender in Tunisia. First of all, why did you choose to be a women’s rights defender?

You should be brave to be a women’s rights defender in Tunisia. You should be brave in a country that has been going through hard times since January 2011. Since the revolution, the political system has been trying to destroy our rights instead of protecting them. This means there is still a long war going on here. I went through a very hard time because I believe in this path from the heart. I grew up in a family believing in freedom and people. My mother supported me to raise the voice of oppressed women across Tunisia and to draw attention to their situation. My mother also supported me to study sociology and completing my education in this field. My mother raised me as a person respecting the value and freedom of people. She always told me I should be patient. My mother encouraged me to clarify all problems that I might face in my life so that I would not fall into anyone's trap in a patriarchal society and could raise my voice freely.

Feminist groups express their pleasure with the participation of 10 women in the new government. What do you think about the appointment of Najla Boudin and the rate of women in the new cabinet?

I think the appointment of 10 women in the new cabinet is a positive step in this extraordinary period that the country is going through. After the revolution, women couldn’t take part in such positions. We saw the presence of women only in the Ministry of Women, Family, Children, and Seniors. We did not see women in important decision-making positions; women were prevented from taking part in decision-making positions due to religion. Many political parties used the image of women to show that Tunisia is the capital of Arab women and is the first country to achieve women's rights. But the reality is totally different. We can see the reality when we look at Tunisian women’s social, economic, and political reality because they face inequality and pressure.

May we say that men take part in important decision-making positions while women remain in the background?

In our country, most of the men work in ministries that are forbidden to women. Tunisia is a place where women are subjected to great discrimination contrary to the picture shown. We should note that Tunisia has gone through fearful regression and violence in terms of freedoms in recent years. Women have been suffering from increasing violence. Today, we do not see successful pioneer women in the image of mother, sister, and woman. Therefore, we don't see the representation of women. We can see this in practice. The road to freedom is exciting and it has a rising and falling in every phase. I think we should reevaluate our cultural representations and our relationship with our bodies because the freedom of our bodies is about development and civil society. First of all, we must liberate our own bodies on our own. It's time for us to be proud of women’s participation in the new government.

Even though a law to end violence against women has been passed, the rate of violence against women is still at a dangerous level. What causes this instability?

Law no. 58 is the primary reason for the increase in violence against women in Tunisia. Before, we explained why violence used to exist and spread as a phenomenon in our society. However, the figures provided by authorities such as the National Office of Family and Population were unclear. Before the revolution, we told one out of every two women was killed every day but they didn’t listen to us. Feminist struggle fought against patriarchal mentality with great sacrifice. As a result of this struggle, the 1956 Code of Personal Status is remembered. The code prohibits polygamy, it defend gender equality, and grants women their rights. For this reason, it poses a threat to the concept of patriarchy and masculinity in Tunisia.

I cannot deny or ignore the great efforts of feminists for years in Tunisia. They worked to ensure full gender equality, to defend women's rights, and to prove their presence in decision-making positions. They were founders of the struggle and their struggle helped us to continue this struggle. Therefore, I appreciate the efforts of the first women’s associations such as the Association of Tunisian Women and the Tunisian Association of the Democratic Women. Today we face a different system. We are the post-revolutionary generation of feminists. Our methods are different; we have new demands and different views. Young and old feminists don’t trust each other. But their aim is the same although their forms of struggle are different. I did not experience the years of struggle during the former Prime Minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali but I face almost the same things. I see the feminist movement growing day by day in Tunisia.

As post-revolutionary activists, does the struggle seem difficult to you despite the marginalization of freedom?

Each stage has its own advantages and features. Since I did not live before the revolution, I can talk about the post-revolutionary defense of women's rights. Women have existed with their bodies, voice, beauty, and femininity. Our method is autonomous. We are a group of the young generation, new feminists. We live in various places. We struggle against the darkness with our dance, song, and color. We struggle against all kinds of reactions that want to destroy our identity. We still have a long way to go. We should keep struggling to achieve equality, justice, and social peace.