Tunisia: Understanding Conflict 2012 - Johns Hopkins School of ...

people in this country, and then you will have changes with women…you
will have changes with the whole society. (SAIS Group Meeting, 25
January 2012)
By letting conservative elements take root, Bourial believes, Ennahdha is allowing the
very social fabric of the country to develop more conservative undertones. Coming from
a major member of civil society, such a view of the future does not bode well.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Though it is important to acknowledge the anxieties present in Tunisia regarding the
issue of women’s rights, one cannot lose sight of the fact that for now, women in Tunisia
face progressive laws that are impressive when compared to the rest of the Middle East as
well as, in some cases, to the United States. As Masmoudi proclaims, “If [democracy]
won’t work here, it won’t work in any other Arab country;” the same is true of women’s
rights. The goal, then, should be to preserve the rights already achieved and provide a
space for genuine, bottom-up dialogue and activity on women’s rights to develop for the
first time in Tunisia. The following recommendations are thus put forward:
Short-Term
• Quotas for female representation should be maintained in the political process
until a working government is established. At a time when women’s rights are still
in question and skepticism about women’s abilities remains, only by ensuring the
participation of women through legal measures can their representation be
guaranteed.
• Women’s rights should be integrated into debates about and decisions made by
the new government. Members of the Constituent Assembly and the new
government must make it clear that women’s rights are a priority instead of a “nonissue”
by actively integrating considerations for women’s needs into new legislation.
• Political parties should be required to increase the representation of women at
all levels through active recruitment. Much of the anxiety about women’s rights
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