Nazeeha Bousaidi

Tunisia — Pressures exerted by the Tunisian government on the people erupted in a protest march attended by thousands, carrying the slogan “March Against Injustice.” Participants affirmed their commitment to continue until achieving the goal of restoring the democratic path.

This was not the first march; in recent weeks and months, public squares have been filled with peaceful demonstrations and sit-ins, all rejecting the policies of the Tunisian government and President Kais Saied.

 

Targeting Journalists and Activists

From her work in the National Union of Tunisian Journalists and her interest in uncovering silenced issues, social philosophy researcher and journalist Yosra Belali believes Tunisia is not in a good state, having experienced numerous political events.

She pointed out that after 2011, Tunisia moved from chaos to populism with both positive and negative effects, but the negatives outweigh the positives:
“The public is incited to satisfy the prevailing hidden patriarchal mentality, which believes that the law has given women freedom, so they can do whatever they want, compounded by immoral and cultural influences that reinforce patriarchal thinking with the support of the regime.”

Yosra Belali said:
“We consider ourselves pioneers in Tunisia regarding the Personal Status Code and women’s achievements, which came thanks to the long struggles of women’s associations across various regimes.”

She added:
“When their efforts are denied—particularly in helping women victims of violence, providing employment for women and youth, or speaking up politically—it leads to a regression in women’s gains.”

 

What remains of the Personal Status Code?

Belali highlighted the paradox: some ask how women’s gains have regressed even though the Personal Status Code was untouched. However, when a woman reports domestic violence to the police and the law is not enforced, or she cannot advance at work due to a male-dominated environment, or a women’s association is frozen at the peak of its activities, these all indicate setbacks in women’s rights.

She warned against complacency toward patriarchal policies that have dominated in recent years:
“Personally, I believe that without resistance from women’s and civil rights associations, these gains could be rolled back at any time, especially if Tunisia’s constitution changes.”

 

“A general reality that kills women”

Yosra Belali emphasized:
“There is a general reality that kills women due to patriarchal mindsets—not only in Tunisia or Arab countries, but worldwide. Every country has its own forms, for example, some struggle with wage equality, others, like Sudan, with sexual violence. But the common factor is that women are always the weakest link. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be an International Women’s Day on March 8.”

She explained that women bear household responsibilities—cleaning, cooking, child-rearing—on top of professional challenges and harassment in public and digital spaces. These pressures create significant psychological strain, reducing women’s resistance, which is why women are often at the forefront of political movements, farmers’ struggles, and legislative activism. She added:
“You cannot improve women’s conditions without reforming the country’s cultural and political structure and addressing patriarchal mentality, which is difficult to eliminate completely.”

 

Maintaining and developing gains

“We must preserve and gradually develop our achievements while countering patriarchal influence, which contributes to creating an unbalanced and psychologically unstable generation,” Belali noted. This generation witnesses violence against women at home and in public, yet considers itself part of a modern, contemporary society.

She argued that unless patriarchal mindsets are removed, “we are inevitably creating an unbalanced and violent society, where youth could be recruited by terrorist groups or populist political regimes that oppress women,” citing the case of Sonia Dhahmani as an example of systemic humiliation and exploitation of women.

 

Breaking the wall of silence

Belali described life in Tunisia over the years as a continuous cycle of fear:
“We truly live in a republic of fear, affecting journalists, activists, and citizens. Female journalists, for example, face violence but often choose silence for various reasons, primarily fear of the judicial process, including Decree 54.”

She criticized the paradoxical situation: when a journalist is attacked, the union publicizes it, but the victim may then face prosecution under Decree 54. Some female journalists avoid reporting harassment out of shame, when they should be the voice for victims.

In conclusion, Belali emphasized that the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, through its monitoring unit, receives complaints from journalists facing any form of violence, provides psychological support, and preserves personal data while allowing freedom of choice in reporting:
“Let us start by breaking the wall of silence first.