Tunisia was hailed at the Beijing+15 International Association Forum as a pioneer in women’s issues. The conference, which ran February 27-28, highlighted some of the initiatives undertaken by the Tunisian government in what participants said show the country’s efforts to buttress women’s rights.

It rings true on Monday as the world celebrates International Women’s Day, and much of the focus is on the Middle East, which experts and activists argue is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of women’s empowerment.

In her address to the meeting, Saida Agrebi, the Chairwoman of the Tunisian Mothers Organization (OTM), said that significant gains have been achieved by Tunisian women in recent years. She evoked President Ben Ali’s initiatives, including the proclamation of 2010, “International Youth Year.”

The preparatory forum brought together over 1,000 non-governmental organizations. Several presentations were given on progress of women’s conditions in different political, economic, social and health sectors in light of assessment made as part of four summits held to this effect: Moscow 1975, Copenhagen 1980, Nairobi 1985 and Beijing 1995.

Despite the optimistic nature, Hind al-Atrash, a Tunisian activist and former government employee who left her post after being forced to remove her hijab, said that while Tunisia is improving on women’s issues, “there is still a long way to go” before praising the country.

“Tunisia is certainly far better in terms of women’s rights that other Arab nations, especially Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, but to say we are on par with other regions in the world is to deny the reality on the ground.”

She pointed to the government’s decision to ban the hijab in governmental buildings and the lack of access to political and social freedoms as Tunisia’s biggest drawback.

“We have a ways to go and yes, things are improving, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done before praising my country,” she said.

Source: http://bikyamasr.com/?p=9491