From the Arab Spring to Human Trafficking

My Interview with GCTV on Human Trafficking in post-revolution Tunisia.

 

 

Tunisia Joins the World Day against Trafficking in Persons.

Today marks the world day against trafficking in persons. On this occasion, it is important to reflect upon the struggles humanity had to endure for decades in fighting slavery. This practice sneaks back into different societies around the world taking different shapes and forms disguised under what is called today as the modern-day slavery or trafficking in persons. This phenomenon is considered to be the third most dangerous and widespread crime around the globe after the trade of weapons and drugs. What we see today of trafficking in persons is nothing new or different from the prehistoric practices of slavery; as they are two faces for the same coin.

The International Labour Organization estimated that around 21 million people are victims of forced labor worldwide. This includes people exploited sexually or at work. It is worth keeping in mind that the exact number of trafficked victims locally or transnationally is not known for the complexity of this crime.

According to the International instruments and definitions, trafficked people are subject to all kinds of actions they are forced to do. This varies from being held as a hostage with no freedom at all, into not getting the full salary as promised or simply working extra hours. Trafficking in Persons refers to slavery in all its forms. The term ‘trafficking’ itself describes the mechanisms and methods of recruitment and mobilization used to isolate and threaten victims to take advantage of them.

“The most desperate and vulnerable are prey to traffickers. To end these inhumane practices, we must go further in protecting migrants and refugees, particularly young people, women and children, against those who would exploit their aspirations for a better, more secure and more dignified .” Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN Message 2016.

This phenomenon spares no one, and all countries are subject to it, and the fight continues and varies between countries as some are bigger on the level of being either sources, destinations, or transits.
In History, this practice which was part of slavery was widespread in the Muslim world and in the North African region. Thousand years before the Christian era, Caravans coming from the south, were going towards Tunisia, Kairawan, the capital of Ifriqiyya. From there, slaves were transported to the coastal ports of the Mediterranean.
The black slave was a common phenomenon in Tunisia’s households. In 1841, up to thirty slaves, mostly women, were bought and sold in the Suq al-Birka. As the slave trade developed in the middle Ages, the “intra-African and Eastern trafficking” got spread over fourteen centuries.

In January 1841, Ahmed Bey announced a decree to abolish black slavery in Tunisia. With this decision, Tunisia has become the first Arab country to break with such institution taken for granted since immemorial times. It took five years for the Tunisian abolition decree to come to its conclusion in 1846. The slave market of Tunis was permanently closed in August 1842, and slavery was abolished in the country making Tunisia the first country in the world to abolish slavery. However, slavery persisted until the early twentieth century in the region. It ended at the beginning of the twentieth century, as the last slave market was closed in Morocco in 1920. But today’s average price of a slave equals less than one tenth of its value during the Roman Empire.
In order to understand the situation of trafficking in persons in Tunisia today we need to look at the new, post-revolution context of the country. Since 2011, Tunisia has witnessed political instability, raise of the unemployment rate, social marginalization and growing economic inequalities. These are the main factors that can make individuals more vulnerable to exploitation.

Geographically, Tunisia’s 1,300 kilometers of coastline facing Italy in addition to its proximity to the island of Lempadusa, make it an ideal transit destination for trafficking in persons.

Politically speaking, the revolution of January 14, 2011 forced Tunisia to enter a new phase of political instabilities and the country has been at crossroads since then, which led to the development of trafficking in persons on both national and transnational levels.

Tunisia is now engaged in a process of institutional reform and democratic transition as it is still working on reforming laws. The Constitution of 1959 was revoked, and the new constitution was adopted in January 26, 2014. Following the political assassinations of opposition leaders, this new Constitution faced major challenges and had been the subject of much debate. It addressed topics such as religion and state and women’s rights. These debates were closely monitored in order to better understand the development of public policies in the fight against human trafficking, based on the interaction of gender.

On the legal side, the revolution created some sort of legal vacuum where attempts of placing a new legal framework took long, especially considering the period of adopting the new constitution. Since 2007, the suggestion of a bill of law against trafficking in persons has started and only recently the draft of this law became ready for adoption by the new parliament.

The security system created an even more favorable situation for crimes such as trafficking in persons as it gave more attention to relatively more serious topics such as terrorism and adopted them as a priority and turned a blind eye to the crime of trafficking in persons and forced labor.

When it comes to the socio-economic context, poverty and marginalization are the main reasons for exploitation of people into crimes such as trafficking, as they increase their vulnerability especially women to fall in the hands of traffickers. The country is facing a major economic set back and the Tunisian economic growth seems rather slow. Contrary to urbanized eastern cities, rural western ones still suffer from inequalities in employment and access to social services such as education and health care. With high rates of unemployment which vary between 31% and 48% among graduates, that facilitates the youth becoming victims of trafficking in Tunisia and out. In addition, due to the lack of stable markets and job opportunities in the formal sector, many citizens are employed in the underground economy representing 85% of Tunisian companies, according to the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA). A recent survey by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) suggests that informal employment represents 42% of total employment in Tunisia, absorbing a very important part of the labor force mainly in trade and services. This situation endangers many Tunisians, and increases the risk of exploitation.

At the social level, 15.5% of Tunisians were under the poverty line in 2010 and 4.6% below extreme poverty. Women and children are usually the most affected by poverty, as it exposes them to the lack of schooling, work at a young age and risky situations. The social, economic and cultural difficulties can push people to leave their area and go to the big cities, and even to leave their countries in search of better opportunities, without preparation or the necessary information for local integration and protection from trafficking networks.

Tunisia as any other signatory party was bound to sign and ratify the Additional Protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons especially women and children (Palermo Protocol), in 2003 to meet a certain level of compliance. The pressure from the UN, EU and US State Department started even before the revolution of 2011. The country found itself going behind others in the region as it hasn’t passed its own national law on trafficking until July 21, 2016, hitting by that a lower status on the scale of Tier placements which is Tier Two Watch List . By this tardiness in passing the national Anti-Human Trafficking law, Tunisia was placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for the fourth time in a row. This makes it sit at the same level with countries like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. For this delay and lack in efforts by the Tunisian government, Tunisia was at risk of getting a downgrade to Tier 3 which constitutes countries such as Syria and North Korea.
However, the country received a waiver to remain its ranking due to the significant efforts it put to meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
Today, Tunisia celebrates with the rest of the international community the fight against trafficking after passing the Tunisian national law 29/2015 related to the prevention and suppression of trafficking in persons on July 21, 2016.

This law consists of 66 articles, and is in line with international commitments made by Tunisia to meet the requirements of international standards which Tunisia has taken, particularly in respect of the Additional Protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons especially women and children (Palermo Protocol), ratified by Tunisia in 2003.

Let’s Say No to Slavery & Racism in Tunisia!

Today, 23rd January, Tunisia celebrates 169th anniversary of the Bey act abolishing slavery in Tunisia. This act made Tunisia the first Arab and Muslim country to abolish slavery in modern period in 1846 and it even predated the United States constitutional ban on slavery by nearly 20 years.

The Ottoman leader, Bey Ahmed Ibn Mustapha, issued a decree outlawing slavery in the country when he realized that the increased European intervention throughout North Africa threatened Tunisian independence and thus embraced abolition as a progressive reform measure to safeguard its integrity and sovereignty.

In comparison with other Arab countries, slavery was abolished in Morocco in 1922, Iraq in 1924, Qatar in 1952, Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 1962, the United Arab Emirates in 1963 and Oman in 1970.

In January 14th, Tunisians celebrated the 4th anniversary of the revolution and the path towards a democracy. However, today we still witness many racist practices where blacks are treated as slaves all around the country and in a more official manner in the southern states.

I was shocked to hear from Saadia Mosbah, the president of Mnemty, an anti-racism NGO, that in some parts of the country, institutionalized slavery still exists like in El Gosba- Mednine where two separate buses take the kids to school according to their colors; a bus for whites and another for blacks!!

A black worker at a hotel, told me that the cemeteries are still separated as well; one for the whites “masters”  and the other for the blacks “slaves”. Isn’t this shocking in a country pretending to be fighting for human rights and equality? where is equality if people are still discriminated against by the state for their skin color?!!

Human Trafficking, known as Modern-day slavery exists in Tunisia as well making it a source, destination and transit country for the phenomenon. According to a 2013 baseline study conducted by the Government of Tunisia in partnership with the IOM, Tunisian youth are subjected to various forms of trafficking, which appear to be consistent with previously reported patterns. Over the last several years, Tunisian girls, mainly from the northwest part of the country, are sent to work as domestic servants for wealthy families in Tunis and major coastal cities. Some child domestic workers experience restrictions on movement, physical and psychological violence, and sexual abuse. International organizations report an increased presence of street children and more rural children working to support their families in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution; according to the baseline study, these children are vulnerable to both forced labor and sex trafficking. Tunisian women have reportedly been forced into prostitution under false promises of work both within the country and elsewhere in the region, such as Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Jordan, while Tunisian girls, primarily 15 to 18 years old, are exploited in prostitution in the coastal cities of Sousse and Sfax. Women from west and east Africa may be subjected to forced labor as domestic workers. Migrants who flee unrest in neighboring countries to Tunisia continue to be vulnerable to trafficking in Tunisia. Security officials report that organized gangs recruit street children to serve as thieves and beggars and to transport drugs.

Isn’t it high time we fought these practices and paid more attention to equality?!

SOURCES:  Trafficking in persons report 2014, US Department of State.

Tunisians evaluate their new government

Tunisia’s new technocratic government headed by Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa

By Racha Haffar

TUNIS, Tunisia – Hours before the country adopted its new constitution on January 26 , Tunisia formed a new government with Mehdi Jomaa as the new Prime Minister after being selected by political and civil society leaders.

This government emerged from a national dialogue and enjoys consensus support from almost all parties in Tunisia.

Jomaa replaced Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh of the Islamist Ennahdha party, which held office since October 2011.

Laarayedh had been in office since March 2013.

Reactions varied among supporters and opponents to the new formation. The cabinet has been criticized for its controversial choice in continuing with Lotfi Ben Jeddou as Minister of Interior. Ben Jeddou has served in the position since cabinets were reshuffled shortly after the assassination of Chokri Belaid in February 2013. He was criticized for what some see as an ineffective investigation into the opposition’s leader assassination, as well as for his handling of the assassination of opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi last July.

Another criticism is linked to the number of women in the cabinet – three out of 28 members. After all the efforts calling for gender equality in political representation in the constitution, Jomaa’s government includes only two female ministers and one secretary of state.

Some criticism targeted the minister of tourism for traveling to Israel, a trip Jomaa defended. Also, the minister of justice was targeted for allegedly having worked with deposed president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

The opposition leftist Popular Front Coalition made it clear that it has certain reservations concerning this government although it came as a result of the national dialogue.

Hamma Hammami, a leader in the Popular Front Coalition, told The Atlantic Post in an interview that the Front is skeptical about this new government.

Hammami noted that the new government should have removed some ministers such as the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Justice, “who served during the times of the previous dictatorial regime and was known for his injustices and oppression of rights. So, how could he save liberties today?”

“The Minister of Religious Affairs is close to the Ennahdha party and he is an extremist,” Hammami said. “He is against certain chapters in the code of personal status and the constitution. How could Tunisians relax in this situation?”

“We have reservations as we want this government to succeed and to do its best so that Tunisia would reach the best situation and break through this crisis, not to stray away from the roadmap,” Hammami concluded.

Aymen Saleh, a young Tunisian student, said he finds this government to be a combination of the previous Constitutional Democratic Rally party of the old regime, and Ennahdha.” This government does not represent me, as the power is split between the old regime and the Islamists. However, all I can say is that I hope they prepare for better elections.”

On the other hand, supporters of Jomaa’s cabinet emphasize its temporary nature. The key task of this government is to keep the country safe and move toward elections, which some officials have said could happen in October.

This government will be tasked with overseeing the country’s affairs as it prepares for new elections expected by the end of this year.

When addressing the National Constituent Assembly on January 29, Mehdi Jomaa said that his government is “temporary” and must finish its work by the end of this year. Jomaa asserted the importance of addressing economic and security problems. “Hopefully this government will get the approval of the Tunisians, the same way it got the approval of the deputies of the National Constituent Assembly.”

“This government is ready and aware of the challenges facing it; however, with the support of the Tunisian people, hopefully we can pass these challenges,” Jomaa added.

“This is a country of a revolution and at the same time a country of dialogue. Its most important legitimacy is the consensual dialogue that all people were involved in to solve our problems. I am sure we can reach the elections in due time and pass the challenges. Now we should work on bringing back the respect to the country and its laws and institutions. We can make Tunisia become like Singapore and any other country we all dream about having.” Jomaa said.

Jomaa called on government and the private sector to work together to create jobs, as unemployment is a big burden for Tunisians.

Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahdha, emphasized the importance of peaceful rotation of the power. He said that this is an important step during this period.

“This is a nice scene – we were used to seeing death or capture of the old president for the new one to get into power, but now we see three prime ministers next to each other showing that Tunisia has entered the right path to democracy and towards being progressive,” Ghannouchi said.

Mohammed Ali, a banker, told The Atlantic Post that he sees a positive change happening in the country. “As a Tunisian citizen, and like all Tunisians, I expect the best from this government, and we hope some new changes and improvements will take place soon.”

In addition, in his speech, President Moncef Marzouki addressed Jomaa’s government and said, “You are the third government; you are going to face a lot of problems. The previous governments have already added some bricks to this country. You are also going to add some more…We all know how hard it is to maintain security, improve development and take the country through this transition; however, today Tunisia has better anticipations, better spirit full of hope and trust, and today you represent this trust. I believe that you are able to manage this responsibility effectively and lead us towards successful elections.”

In addition to these expectations and criticism, a Tunisian anti-corruption watchdog group Iwatch has launched the ‘Jomaa Meter‘, an initiative aimed at tracking the performance of the newly appointed government of Mehdi Jomaa and to track whether the country’s interim prime minister is keeping his promises or not.

This online accountability meter lists the 29 promises made by Jomaa, including organizing free and fair elections and job creation.

The meter classifies these pledges into three categories: “achieved”, “in progress,” and “not achieved.”

This project is modeled on Egypt’s Morsi Meter, which was launched to track President Mohammed Morsi’s achievements after he took office in 2012.

Mouheb Garoui, president of Iwatch, told The Atlantic Post that he has high expectations of this government. He said that optimism is apparent when you talk to people and even in the media, because this government was chosen by consensus, was designed according to the road map and along with the new constitution.

“Tunisians seem to have more trust in this new government. The arrests of terrorists that happened right after this government took power is seen as a first concrete step towards the new promises made by Jomaa, as he promised to give concrete evidence in relation to the assassinations of both opposition leaders last year.”

“This meter is to assess the public perception towards the whole concept; we got some positive reactions so far. In fact, we want to create a new mindset of accountability towards those who give promises without being held accountable.”

Garoui pointed at the fact that during the previous elections there were many promises without accountability. There were hundreds of programs and political parties, but no one was following and keeping record of the actions of the previous government.

“Now this government will know that Tunisians are following its actions and keeping track of what it does. This initiative will serve the post-transition period, it will become as a tradition for people to track their elected government, and we voted for you, what are you achieving for us?” Garoui asked.

The announcement of the government occurred as the National Constituent Assembly members prepared to begin a final vote on the country’s new constitution.

Racha Haffar is The Atlantic Post’s Tunisia Correspondent, based in Tunis.

For original publication, click here.

Islamists now in power find it hard to hold

Tunisians chant slogans on July 30 in front of the Constituent Assembly headquarters during a protest against the country’s Islamist government in Tunis.
(Photo: Salah Habibi, AFP/Getty Images)

CAIRO – Under the cover of a recent night in the Egyptian capital, security forces battled with demonstrators in lengthy clashes that killed dozens of supporters of deposed president Mohammed Morsi.

Egyptian prosecutors have referred three top leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the group’s fugitive spiritual leader, to trial for allegedly inciting the killing of protesters last month.

The decision Wednesday by Cairo prosecutors is the latest move in a crackdown by authorities on the Islamist group following the July 3 ouster of Mohammed Morsi in a military coup, the AP reports.

“They are killing us,” said Waiel Yahya, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, in the aftermath of the bloody conflict.

Egypt is not the only place where Islamist groups are facing wrath. In the past few days Muslim Brotherhood offices have been ransacked in Libya, and thousands marched against the Islamist-led government in Tunisia.

MORE: African delegation meets Egypt’s Morsi

The unrest is seen by some as a backlash against Islamist groups that emerged politically powerful in the aftermath of the Arab Spring revolutions but are spurring anger and disappointment with their governance.

“It’s going to be a messy period, but it’s also natural and to be expected,” said Firas Abi Ali, a Middle East and North Africa analyst at IHS in London. “Reconciling Islam with modernity will result in a lot of unrest.”

At the root of the region-wide turmoil are struggles between opposing political camps, particularly in the North African nations that are navigating turbulent attempts to shift to democracies from authoritarian systems.

In Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, groups across political and social spectrums that united to overthrow ruling autocratic regimes in 2011 are now engaging in bitter conflict and competition that has left hundreds of people dead.

“The major thread that runs through what is happening in Egypt, Tunisia and all these other places is contentious politics and a revolutionary moment,” said Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. “It’s really a struggle of narratives. It’s a struggle for power.”

A majority Islamist government in Turkey has not been swept up in revolutionary zeal, and its economy has been doing well. However, protests blew up last month against the government over the planned destruction of a park and its edicts on the sale of alcohol to comply with Muslim strictures.

The demonstrations continue and now revolve around a range of concerns including the harsh crackdown by the government against protesters and threats to civil liberties.

“Turkish Islamists and secularists have a very uneasy relationship,” said Hamid Akin Unver, an assistant professor of international relations at Kadir Has University in Istanbul.

“Yet what is different in Turkey than Egypt is that Turkish Islamists took about nine years to engage in serious infrastructure construction, municipality works and good governance before they tuned to their Islamist agenda,” he said, noting that this is why the ruling Justice and Development Party, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, still has political legitimacy.

“In Egypt, however, Morsi dived straight into Islamist policies without having convinced non-Islamists about his ability to deliver service,” Unver said.

Egypt’s weekend violence stems from ire directed at Morsi, who comes from the Muslim Brotherhood – the 85-year-old movement that succeeded in every election it has participated in during the past two years.

Anger boiled over in June, when on the one-year anniversary of Morsi’s presidential inauguration, millions of people took to the streets to demand his resignation, complaining of dictatorial policies and a poor economy.

“The people were disappointed in the Islamists, and they didn’t like the way they behaved,” said Mohamed Abou El Ghar, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, a liberal group.

“They talked to the people from above – they neglected (the people),” he said.

For decades the Muslim Brotherhood was repressed by authoritarian governments in Egypt and elsewhere, its members considered a threat. Its message is that Islam as practiced by its adherents is the answer to the ills of the Muslim world, be they economic, spiritual or societal.

But the Islamists’ record in power in some countries has not impressed everyone.

On July 3, Egypt’s army chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, stepped in and forced Morsi out with the aid of secular, leftist and liberal opposition to the government. Even former supporters turned on them amid persistent unemployment, rising prices for basic foods, power cuts and fuel shortages.

“The Muslim Brotherhood brand has been damaged for good,” Gerges said. “It’s turned a significant part of Egyptians against them.”

Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said the current tension will probably worsen. But this phase will likely ease and pass. The Muslim Brotherhood does not want a civil war, he said.

In Tunisia, where the Arab uprisings began more than two years ago, a wave of weekend protests and clashes with security forces brought the country to a halt as secular groups demanded the Islamist-led government resign and the Constituent Assembly be dissolved, putting intense stress on the democratic transition.

The turmoil followed the murder of leftist politician Mohamed Brahmi – the second victim of political assassination in six months – who was killed last week outside his home. Many blame the government, led by the Islamist group Ennahda, for failing to ensure security and rein in fundamentalist Islamists.

“We need a radical change,” said Selim Kharrat, head of Al Bawsala, an independent organization that monitors the work of the now-criticized Constituent Assembly.

“Ennahda was already isolated before the assassination of Brahmi,” she said. “It is even more isolated today.”

By Monday, at least 70 out of 271 members of the Constituent Assembly withdrew from the body, according to local media. A sit-in outside the assembly building continued for a third day, and demonstrators called for a “national rescue government” and accused the Islamist leaders of lying to people in the name of religion.

“We can’t trust them anymore – their work is nothing but a big failure,” said Sihem Ben Aissi, 49, a housewife in Tunis. “We can’t go on like this anymore. We are going in the wrong direction.”

A secular party in the ruling Islamist-led coalition has demanded a unity government to help resolve the conflict.

In Libya, offices of the Muslim Brotherhood were attacked – as was the headquarters of a liberal coalition – after protests erupted in the eastern city of Benghazi over the weekend. The Brotherhood’s political wing is the second largest group in the nation’s legislature and was believed by some to be behind a wave of recent assassinations, a local Libyan news report said.

Political activist and outspoken Brotherhood critic Abdelsalam al-Mosmary was shot and killed Friday after leaving a mosque in Benghazi, according to Libyan press, and two military officials were assassinated.

“Many of the protesters were in tears, mourning the loss of a political figure who, they say, consistently made a stand against militias and Islamists,” the Libyan Herald said. “He also frequently appeared on television to encourage the residents of Benghazi to stage protests in response to bombings and assassinations in the area.”

The unrest prompted Libya’s prime minister to say he would reshuffle the cabinet, Reuters reported.

As emerging democratic systems with strong Islamist presence face challenges, collapse or waver, some Islamists are losing faith in the ballot box, which could lead to radicalization in the region, analysts said.

In Egypt, “the Islamists are eventually going to splinter, with some factions launching more attacks in Sinai and also in Egypt proper,” said Abi Ali.

In Cairo, disenchantment among Morsi supporters was palpable as they saw their votes washed away and Morsi was swept into detention.

“I voted for the parliament, president and the constitution,” said Ragab Shaban, 47, at a pro-Morsi rally earlier this month. “Do you think I will vote again? I will never vote again.”

Contributing: Brian Bonner in Berlin, Aida Alami in Paris, Victor Kotsev in Istanbul, Akram Khelifa in Tunis and Racha Haffar in Dubai, Associated Press.

For original publication, click here.