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By Naom Alkhosi.
Tripoli, 28 June 2014:
Women’s rights in Libya were the focus of a meeting earlier this week in Tripoli organised . . .[restrict]by women’s groups and activists as well as the UN Development Programme to try and ensure that such rights become enshrined in the new constitution.
A draft on women’s rights that the groups want included in the constitution was circulated at the event chaired by lawyer Huweida Al-Shibani, who drew up the document.
It was discussed by those present who included civil activists, media, GNC officials, lawyers, doctors and female judges as well as representatives from the Amazigh and Tebu communities.
The various issues related to economic, social, cultural, and environmental equality. They covered education, health, transportation, employment and workplace conditions, economic participation, environmental rights, rights for persons with special needs, language, family and marriage, social security, culture and protection from violence. In the case of the latter, the participants wanted legal protection for women who suffer domestic violence included in the constitution.
They also wanted the rights of foreigners who marry Libyans to be protected, in particular a change to the law that prevents Libyan women who have married foreigners from leaving their property and wealth to their husbands and children. The latter are not even allowed free education or healthcare. Foreign women who marry Libya men are similarly disadvantaged; they are not allowed Libyan citizenship which means that when their husbands die they cannot inherit property and, if there are no children to ensure continued residence status for them, they can be kicked out of the country.
With regard to civil and political rights, attendees discussed equality in political participation; rights relating to female representation in municipal elections; rights to female representation in civil or political foundations; the right to rally; and equality in female representation in the judiciary.
They said that many women’s rights had been eroded since the revolution. Women military pilots, they claimed, had been told to stay at home and not work.
The attendees also called for financial funding to help them implement programmes to increase awareness and educate women about their rights. [/restrict]
