Conceived as a model to help society’s most vulnerable groups—including women, Tunisia’s law on social and solidarity economy has, in fact, had the opposite effect.
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Women Lead the Struggle Against Industrial Pollution in Gabes
Women are the first victims of air pollution produced by the Tunisian Chemical Group in Gabes. Today, women of the region are at the forefront of an unprecedented social movement, fighting to ensure the future of their children and of generations to come. Special report.
Sub-Saharan Migrants in Tunisia: Young Mothers on the Fringes of Society
In Tunisia, migrant women give birth in precarious conditions, exposing their newborns to illness and malnutrition. Accused of contributing to a so-called “demographic change” within the country, they face administrative obstacles, racism and poverty. Their survival depends largely on the charity and limited assistance of international organizations.
Journalism in Tunisia: Between political legacy and historical contingencies
Since 2022, freedom of expression and the right to information have suffered serious setbacks. Reforms initiated have failed to set up real safeguards against the derailing of the country’s “democratic transition” for political and personal ends. It is precisely the media’s entanglement with political power that constitutes the main handicap to its liberalization and full development.
UGTT-Kais Saied: 2026, a decisive year?
With a general strike and special congress drawing near, 2026 promises to be a decisive year for the union organization founded by Farhat Hached. In December, the UGTT’s long-standing secretary general, Noureddine Taboubi, resigned from his position just as the Union gears up for a nationwide strike. Will the Union recover its place among the country’s dynamic forces, despite a destabilizing internal conflict and government attacks aiming to bring the organization to its knees?
Criminalizing Dissent: Six Stories from Tunisia’s Political and Media Crackdown
Tunisia’s political and media landscape has changed drastically since 2021, with expanded use of criminal law against journalists, opposition figures, and commentators critical of authorities. This article presents the profiles of six individuals targeted within the scope of the government’s crackdown on dissidence: journalist Chadha Hadj Mbarek, media commentator Mourad Zeghidi, opposition politician Issam Chebbi, party leader Abir Moussi, young journalist and political activist Siwar Bargaoui, and lawyer–politician Ghazi Chaouachi.
Nawaat will not be silenced
The Nawaat Journalists’ Association received, on Friday, October 31, a notification ordering the suspension of its activities for one month. This measure is part of a series of arbitrary suspensions ordered by the authorities, targeting several activist associations. Nawaat commits to complying with the suspension of its activities for one month, and announces it will appeal in court, with support from voices for freedom and its companions in struggle.
Gabes rises up against cancerous Chemical Group
In this city, to breathe is to inhale a toxic cocktail of sulfuric acid, carbon dioxide, ammonia and heavy metals. Today, the possibility of breathing air that does not kill has become a collective dream for the residents of Gabes.
UGTT-Government: On the brink of confrontation
After the success of the protest held on August 21, the UGTT had its first win. The union organization has regained its place in the public space, as its power struggle with the government reaches a critical stage.
The 25 July Regime and Intermediary Structures: Mediation Impossible
Since July 25, 2021, Kais Saied has waged a systematic attack on intermediary structures. By removing counter powers and stifling critics, the Tunisian president has formed a government without mediation, opposition or debate.
Tunisians Dead in Italy: Families in anguish, government indifferent
The families of Tunisians who have disappeared in Italy no longer rely on the government to shed light on the fate of their children. Their stories reveal the solitary struggle carried on by the relatives of undocumented Tunisian migrants in the face of a government which, through its silence, is either failing in its duties or complicit in the ongoing tragedy.
Marital Rape, The Silent Prison of Obligation
Hamida, now 63, spent years unable to name what she endured—rape perpetrated by her own husband. Her experience, unfortunately far from rare, highlights the deep-seated taboo around marital sexual violence in Tunisia, where cultural, religious, and legal norms continue to enforce the silent suffering of countless women.
Unusual Suspects: Case Studies in Tunisia’s Crackdown on Civil Society
Tunisia’s recent trajectory has been marked by a serious regression in terms of civil liberties, particularly since 2023. The space for civil society has receded, with executive authorities wielding the law as a tool to target rights defenders, humanitarian organizations, and outspoken critics of the current government. This in-depth review presents the stories of seven individuals—Saadia Mosbah, Saloua Ghrissa, Imen Ouardani, Mustapha Djemali, Abdallah Saïd, Sherifa Riahi, and Sonia Dahmani—each of whom has faced arrest, prosecution, or extended detention for work previously regarded as necessary for Tunisia’s nascent democracy. By examining these cases in detail, we can understand the mechanisms at work against and consequences endured by those whose pursuits are humanitarian, anti-racist, or openly critical of the government in present-day Tunisia.
Graffiti in Tunisia: Walls, no space for resistance
A veritable weapon of citizen resistance, graffiti in Tunisia flourished for a time before once again fading from the public space. Under the current regime, graffiti artists are hounded, demonized, imprisoned and, more than ever, devoted to their art.
Ultras in Tunisia: stadiums as a space for resistance
The combat waged by Ultras groups in stadiums has infused social movements with a new dynamic. By challenging the government’s policies from up in the stands but also expanding their mobilization beyond, these groups have come to stand at the forefront of the struggle for civil liberties.
Tunisia-LGBTQI+ Community: The truth behind official discourse
Alarming accounts of the systematic humiliation faced by LGBTQI+ persons in prison expose the harsh reality that this community endures in Tunisia. An image very far from that which the government would hope to sell to its partners in the West.
Associative radio in Tunisia: From post-revolutionary hope to silent abandonment
Hard-won by civil society in the momentum of the 2011 revolution, associative radio stations once carried the hope of a free and pluralistic media landscape. Riding on early enthusiasm and supported by NGOs and international funders, they promised to play a key role in the country’s democratic transition. Little by little, however, this hope has eroded, giving way to growing disillusionment. Today, associative radios are marginalized, left to their own devices, and struggling to survive.
Tunisian Prisons: Lawless Zones
Hungry, mistreated and lacking medical care, prisoners in Tunisia find themselves facing a double sentence: incarceration and—more insidious—the violence that it entails. A shocking report warns against the conditions endured by inmates inside Tunisian prisons.
