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.

A Call for Women’s Revolutions in this World of Disgrace.

I keep wondering and asking myself why does it have to be always the progressives and modernists talking about women’s rights and status in the society? is it going to be always the case for half of the society or even less to think that women still need to be defended in such patriarchal societies where men rule and dominate simply just because they are men?! And why some men get offended when you address them thinking they are feminists? Don’t they know that these Arab societies will never improve if there was no greater support of men to women? Don’t they realize that the society is made up of both women and men who are born in the same circumstances and in the same spot on this earth? Why men get to feel more powerful and superior and act accordingly without any real indications that they actually deserve to live feeling more free and domineering? why is it ok for the male to treat the female as an inferior and then gets away with it while the female has to always abide by the norms of this patriarchal society into giving the male all the respect he deserves? How is a democracy and a modern state going to be established in a country like Tunisia which revolted against a political dictatorship, but other forms of societal dictatorships still exist. If women still can’t even walk in peace in the streets without being subject to either verbal or physical aggression, would you call that a modern, well established state? Women all over the Arab World should revolt against these disrespectful, disgusting, and shameful practices!

We have to revolt against the fact that we live all our lives with the burden of being  females in a society that we look at with an eye of fear, where we feel surrounded by predators willing to attack us at any moment to touch us, say something nasty or take advantage of us just because they look at us as an inferior person makes us suffer on a daily basis in this part of the world. They don’t take us seriously on many occasions claiming to be the ones knowing the right thing to do.

We have to revolt against the fact that sexual oppression men suffer from  in our societies makes it harder for women to live a normal life. They look at us as a piece of meat that might satisfy their needs. In Saudi Arabia women suffer the most as they can’t even drive a car for they are not even considered as humans and equal persons. Rather, men consider them to be their commodity and property. I strongly support a revolution of Saudi women today before tomorrow!

In my part of the world, females should be always under the control and power of the males in their lives. It doesn’t make any sense that any male member of your family gets to control and bound you just because he was born with male parts and physically different. I saw how women in the Middle East suffer the ultimate control of their very younger brothers; the ones that could even be 8 years old. It is absurd for millions of women to live under this kind of injustice based on gender discrimination. So women, you need to revolt against this irrational action that shouldn’t be tolerated in this century!

Jordan and its long history of The ‘Honor Killing’ needs a revolution. Sometimes the girl is killed and then a while after her death, medical tests prove that she was a virgin. So practically she was murdered for no reason, just because she was suspected to have a relationship with a man. And then that man would carry on living without any complications in his life because he was the one to be born in a body of a male. A body that gives him all the privileges of this world. What hurts the most is that the murderers don’t get to spend a lot of time in jail as this kind of killing is justified for them to save their honor and reputation; the one remaining in the female’s virginity. Where is sanity in all this?!  Women, its time for you to stand up against all this!

In Tunisia, women in some rural areas like Jendouba work for an average of 11.5 hours daily more than men who spend around 5.5 hours so that at the end of the day those men would spend the money women earned on cafes and bars, according to statistics.

The mass rapes that happen in Egypt are nothing but a proof how women are perceived in their Arab societies. Sex embodiment and possessions to men around them. The high rate of rapes make it an impossible task for any woman to have a normal day of education or work. She has to go through all the bad feelings of hatred, disgust and shame. And above all that comes the ‘No Complaining Policy’. Egyptian women, you too have to start your revolution!

A lot of women in my society don’t have the choice to speak up, to being heard and to get a hold of their lives just like millions of other women in the region. They live under a huge amount of humiliation that I see has to be terminated. They live miserably for they fear everything, for their lives are handled by males around them, for they are alive just because they can’t die.

In fact, is the time for a woman to become a president or prime minister in the region going to happen any soon? will those men ruling everywhere be fine with that? will they allow it? We have to fight for that, for a day where an Arab female can actually rule a country and make us all proud into realizing that it can actually happen!

And, It will never be enough to talk about women’s rights until the celebration of Women’s Day is not needed anymore; when a greater equality and respect is established and maintained. It is so annoying how some people still mock the fact that such a day exists!

So, I strongly believe that women in Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, and all other parts of the Arab World should revolt against the social norms, families, societies and governments that make their lives miserable to live. And I am sure a lot of women share my anger against our unjust communities. We all should join our voices into facing a cruel world that gives men a false privilege.

This this is an expression of anger, frustration and disgust, with a call for a wave of women’s revolutions to cross the region perhaps we can reach the radical change we deserve. 

From now on, we will never be silent!

My story behind an image that is worth thousand words

The day Chokri Belaid was assassinated.

I will never forget that day, two years ago from now and It was my second day working as a journalist. Of course, I was really excited and so eager to go out and cover what was happening in the Tunisian streets after the assassination of #ChokriBelaid who was the biggest leftist opposition leader by then. The country went under a shock effect and everything in the capital was paralyzed.

I moved around between blocks to take some pictures of the protests and the police raids. Tear gas was the ruling element down town and the funny thing is that at some point, I realized that I was walking against the flow of people. I was going the “wrong” direction- towards the teargas- until it hit me hard. It was so impossible to breathe or to move and the streets were only filled by police men throwing tear gas bombs and getting in response stones from citizens. I managed to take a short cut to go back to my office; however, when I reached the main street again, I found myself standing in the spot where this picture was taken (between the old Medina and Avenue Habib Bourguiba). The scene was captivating, it spoke, I couldn’t just turn my back to it and run to my office. Even though, I was fully aware I was the only girl standing there at that moment, I didn’t really care, as if something told me to just take that shot. So, I simply, stupidly stood there and tried to capture the prefect moment, and when I finally did, Suddenly and out of nowhere, a stranger grabbed my camera and ran away with it calling for everyone around to run away as if it was the police chasing them, in order for no one to notice that it was only me chasing him for my camera.

Magically, I chased him down the street and managed to get my camera back with the help of some locals who lived in the area and happened to know him as a professional thief. I was terrified, horrified and literally under shock, but I stood up and decided to carry on walking to my office to finish writing the article that made me go through all that.

After that day, Tunisia entered a new phase, a new era of violence, political assassinations and unknown certainties.

I haven’t shared this story with many people, I guess i kept it for my self for 2 years, but now I think it is time to share it.