Maro Youssef, The University of Southern California & Sarah Yerkes, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Introduction

The COVID-19 or Coronavirus Pandemic tested Tunisia’s democratic transition. Initially, the state implemented lockdown measures that kept Tunisia’s death rate and cases low. Proactive state policies in early 2020 effectively kept Tunisia’s COVID-19 cases down during the first year of the pandemic (up to March 22, 2021), with 8,546 reported deaths and 245,706 cases.[i]

Yet, the pandemic exacerbated pre-existing inequalities, including violence against women.

Reporting of gender-based violence (GBV) or violence against women spiked since the state forced women to stay home with their abusers. They lacked access to shelters and other resources. Women’s rights organizations criticized the state for its inaction in addressing the increase in GBV reporting during the first months of the pandemic. However, feminist mobilization around GBV since the 1990s and bipartisan political support to pass the 2017 GBV law led to swift action early on.[ii]

Civil society organizations (CSOs) used decades of mobilization to influence GBV state policies. Islamist and secular women’s organizations lobbied for and secured greater protections for women during the pandemic, including establishing a new women’s shelter and 24/7 hotline. Yet, President Kais Saied’s July 2021 power grab stifled their efforts and progress. What accounts for this change?