El Karama, or the Coalition for Dignity, a hardline Islamist group that has split from Ennahda because it is not Islamist enough, wants prostitution to be banned immediately and those who practice it punished. I was discussing with a friend the extent to which prostitution is legalized in Tunisia. Is it legalized? How many legal brothels are there across the country? (we all know the one in the capital and I know one myself in Sfax). Do persons working in prostitution receive special medical care or insurance? Ahmed Gaaloul, a senior Ennahda official, said he was against prostitution but advocated a step-by-step approach. “Prostitutes are vulnerable members of society and prostitution is a form of slavery,” Gaaloul said. Despite being a conservative Muslim country, Tunisia allows prostitution in licensed brothels. Buying sex elsewhere is illegal. State-sanctioned prostitution in Tunisia dates back at least to the Ottoman conquest nearly half a millennium ago – and has persisted to this day. In 2011, at least 300 sex workers were working legally under government auspices.
Almost all major cities had a licensed brothel, which was regulated by the Office of Morality of the Ministry of the Interior. Prostitutes could be registered as civil servants. However, the system is running out – to the detriment of prostitutes. In Morocco, prostitution is prohibited but is often practiced with children forced into trafficking, making it a destination of choice for so-called “sex tourism”. And if something goes wrong, illegal workers don`t have much recourse, he says: “They can`t go to the police, they don`t have rights. There is simply no comparison between what is happening illegally and the security of the guarded homes. There are also unclear agreements in neighboring Algeria, where sex work is legal, but advertising and brothels are not. The regulation of sex workers dates back to the time of Ottoman and then French colonial rule.
The French were apparently primarily concerned with protecting lustful citizens from sexually transmitted diseases. During the German occupation of France during World War II, the Vichy government came under pressure to further regulate prostitution in order to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among German troops. [10] The Tunisian government, still controlled by the Vichy France, legalized the status of sex workers as civil servants in 1942. [1] Those who had a civil servant`s license were subject to strict regulations. [1] Without a licence, prostitution became illegal. Clients of illegal prostitutes have also been criminalized as accomplices. Restricted areas of prostitution were present in most cities. [2] The regulations on prostitution and brothels were introduced by a decree of the Ministry of the Interior dated April 30, 1942:[1][3] Except in the cases provided for by the regulations in force, women who offer themselves to passers-by by gestures or words, or even prostitute themselves occasionally, are liable to 6 months to 2 years imprisonment and a fine of 20 to 200 dinars. Anyone who has had sexual intercourse with one of these women is considered an accomplice and will be punished with the same penalty. Tunisia is a potential source, destination and transit country for men, women and children trafficked for sexual purposes. According to a landmark study published in 2013, Tunisian adolescents are exposed to various forms of human trafficking. International organizations report an increased presence of street and rural children working to support their families in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution.
According to the baseline study, these children are vulnerable to sex trafficking. Tunisian women have reportedly been forced into prostitution with false promises of work inside the country and elsewhere in the region, such as Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. In 2016, the Ministry of Justice reported 22 criminal cases of forced prostitution. [16] Tunisia became a French protectorate in 1881. In 1883, the La Marsa Convention made French law applicable in Tunisia. Brothels and prostitution were legal in France at the time, including in Tunisia. The first House of Tolerance (brothel) appeared in Tunis in 1882. [8] In 1889, a regularity system was introduced,[8] and biweekly medical examinations for prostitutes became mandatory to stop the spread of syphilis. [9] This is because prostitution is legal in Tunisia, one of only two Arab countries that allow trafficking.
Red-light districts have been legal in Tunisia since the French occupation, and brothels are run there like any other business, with taxes and regulations. Private prostitution itself has long been illegal in Tunisia. Any person found guilty of practising this practice may be punished by imprisonment from six months to two years. Until recently, however, sex work remained legal in homes controlled by Tunisian police. The officer, who had covered his head, added: “But we must always realise that any premise in which prostitution usually takes place, here or elsewhere in the world, is a real problem in itself.” Sahar says the family would be homeless if they didn`t work. And since the Sousse neighborhood was closed, staying there was not an option. Some women have started working illegally, but she says it`s too risky. The Red Light District offers protection – and even access to health care. Although the number of registered prostitutes is small, many work illegally, especially since the closure of most red-light districts following the Jasmine Revolution in 2011. [5] UNAIDS estimates that there are approximately 25,000 prostitutes in the country. [6] Sex workers and NGOs report that law enforcement is abusive, inconsistent, and corrupt. [5] [3] “Women working illegally could get HIV and no one would know! They also rarely have a home.
Some of them tell me they sleep on the streets,” says Zahaf. “Others talk about abuse and violence, because when they pick up and leave with someone, they have no idea where they`re going, they don`t know if it`s going to be 1, 10, 20 guys waiting for them there.” “It`s very difficult for them, especially for seniors, because they understand it`s their mother and she`s leaving,” she says. “Almost every time I leave, they end up in tears and want me to stay. They recover pretty quickly, but it starts every time I come back. Looking at the equipment, one will hardly avoid the impression that it offered women above all safety and order. “Most of the women come from city centers,” said Bouthayna Aouissaoui, who heads a women`s support association, referring to the marginalized cities that dot Tunisia`s hinterland. “They are often beaten or raped, sometimes by family members. Now they send money; This is the only way they know to get affection. They know that their value in society is measured by money. Even with their families, they try to buy their love and affection with the money they make from the sale of their bodies,” she tells a translator. In the early 20th century, a number of sports facilities were founded in Tunis, especially in schools and colleges. In 1905, the Muslim Association of Tunisia brought together the students of the Alaoui High School and Sadiki College to organize gymnastics.
In 1912, a regional gymnastics competition was held in Tunis, in which thousands of French gymnasts participated. Many sex workers have no choice but to make a living in parks and hotel bars in Tunisia. Some sleep roughly, more often than in the same parks where they work. Arrests are on the rise and five former state-licensed sex workers were arrested just six months ago. Their suffering is exacerbated by the broader economic collapse that has left millions of ordinary Tunisians unemployed and struggling to feed their families. A $1.9 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund, announced on October 15, should bring some relief. But Tunisian sex workers probably won`t feel it. With the development of the capital under the rule of the Hafsids, two promising suburbs developed outside the walls; Bab El Jazira to the south and Bab Souika to the north.
At the beginning of the 14th century, Hafsid Darba Abu al-Muhammad al-Mustansir Lihyânî ordered the construction of a second chamber encompassing the medina and two suburbs outside. [62] Six new gates were built, including Bab El Khadra, Bab Saadoun, Bab El Allouj (originally called Bab Er-Rehiba), Khalid or Bab Bab Sidi Abdallah Cherif, Bab El Fellah, and Bab Alioua. In Ottoman times, four new gates were built: Bab Laassal, Bab Sidi Abdesselam, Bab El Bab Gorjani and Sidi Kacem. The city retains some of these gates, including Bab El Khadra, Bab El Bhar and Bab Jedid, but some of the oldest have long since disappeared. In the years following independence, the population of the metropolitan area continued to grow: by 21.1% from 1956 to 1966 and by 28.5% from 1966 to 1975 (55.6% between 1956 and 1975). [51] This sustained growth was accompanied by changes that affected the way the capital was colonized. Decolonization had led to the exodus of some European minorities, whose numbers were decreasing every year. The voids created by their departure were filled by Tunisians who emigrated to Tunis from other parts of the country.