Tunisia: State protection available to a man who is harassed/threatened/targeted by his girlfriend's family for having sexual relations with her when she was betrothed to another man (arranged marriage)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 7 June 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | TUN37036.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Tunisia: State protection available to a man who is harassed/threatened/targeted by his girlfriend's family for having sexual relations with her when she was betrothed to another man (arranged marriage), 7 June 2001, TUN37036.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4beb124.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information on state protection available to a man who is harassed/threatened/targeted by his girlfriend's family for having sexual relations with her when she was betrothed to another man was provided on 5 June by the spokesperson of the Maghreb Human Rights Association (Association des droits de la personne au Maghreb).
In Tunisia, a man who is threatened by members of his girlfriend's family can lodge a complaint to the police. However, it might not be taken seriously by the police whose officers are lacking training in private matters such as this one or domestic violence. Before starting the procedure, police officers have to find evidence and they might not be able to do so, due again to the lack of training. They do not have the culture to deal with private matters: they might send the plaintiff back home as it has happened with battered women.
Some Muslim families in Tunisia do not accept the fact that their daughters have sexual relationships before getting married. It can be a very sensitive issue and the family might keep the situation quiet because it can impact negatively on the family if the neighbourhood knew about this. It might not be in the interest of the family if the incident is known. In that context, consequences might be more serious for the woman than for the man.
The majority of Tunisians do not lodge complaints with the police. In fact, according to the representative, there has been in the past few years an increase of the criminal rate in Tunisia, which might be a sign that some people are taking the law into their own hands.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Maghreb Human Rights Association, Ottawa. 5 June 2001. Telephone interview with spokesperson.
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International
Avocats sans frontières
Conseil national pour les libertés en Tunisie
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network
Human Rights Watch
Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights
LegisTunisie, la page de données du droit tunisien
Maghreb des droits de l'homme
U.S. Departement of State
Internet engines including:
Metacrawler
Dogpile
