Violence against women and Tunisian feminism: Advocacy, policy, and politics in an Arab context

Informed theoretically by feminist sociological and political science research on women’s social movements and women’s engagement with public policy, this article examines the advocacy and political work of women’s rights groups in Tunisia in the area of violence against women. It locates the origins of the concern about this particular social problem, shows how the women’s rights groups worked with government agencies as well as transnational feminist networks to raise awareness and institute policy changes, and examines how their research, advocacy, and lobbying efforts have evolved. Drawing on the personal experience of the first author, who has been a longstanding participant in the Tunisian women’s rights movement, as well as on various publications by ATFD and AFTURD and related documentary data, the article shows how a relatively small feminist movement has been able to leverage its relationships with other civil society organizations to influence changes in policies, laws, and public debates.