University of Tunis – El Manar

ISSHT

Higher Institute of Human Sciences of Tunis

The Developments of Trafficking in Women in Post-

Revolution Tunisia

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Higher Institute of Human
Scièences of Tunis for the Master’s degree in English and International Relations

By: Racha Haffar

Supervised by: Prof. Samira Mechri

ACADEMIC YEAR

2014 - 2015
 Haffar 1

I hereby declare that this is entirely my own work and

the Faculty assumes no responsibility whatsoever for the opinions expressed in
this paper. I agree that the Library may lend or copy this dissertation on
request.

Racha Haffar
 Haffar 2

Acknowledgment

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Samira Mechri for

finding the time and putting the effort to supervise my work. Without her valuable
guidance, sincere support and trust, I wouldn’t have been able to submit this dissertation.

I am greatly thankful to my professors who guided me in the past three years and
never hesitated to give me advice and encouragement when needed.

I am particularly thankful to the people who showed willingness to help me find my way
through this past year into completing this work.

I am sincerely indebted to my family and close friends who have faith in me and
supported me throughout the different pahases of this endeavour.

Finally, I would like to dedicate this work to my Mother who has made so many sacrifices
for our education. I would not be here today without her support. Thank you for believing in me.
 Haffar 3

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement 2

Table of contents 3

Introduction 7

Chapter I: The Historical Development of Trafficking in Women 12

I) Trafficking in Persons: Concepts and History 12

1. The Definitions of Trafficking in Persons 12

A. The International Context 12

B. The Tunisian Context 14

C. Definitions of Labels Related to Trafficking in Persons in the Tunisian 14

Anti-Trafficking Bill of Law

D. Differences Between Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants 16

2. Historical Background of Slavery 17

A. The History of Slavery in Africa 18

B. The History of White Slave Trade 18

C. History of Slavery in Tunisia 20

3. Trafficking in Persons 21

A. Trafficking in Persons in the MENA region 21

B. Trafficking in Persons in Tunisia 22

4. Factors that Contribute to the Trafficking Structure in Tunisia 23

II) Trafficking in Women: The Gender Perspective 25

Chapter II: The Development of the Legal Framework 35

 Haffar 4

I) Trafficking in Women and the International Legal Framework 36

1. The Development of International Legislations 37

A. Anti-Slavery Conventions 37

B. Anti-Prostitution Conventions 39

C. Anti- Economic Exploitation Conventions 43

2. The Palermo Protocol 44

3. Tunisia’s Complaince with International Laws 45

II) Trafficking in Women and the National Legal Framework 47

1. The Legal Development of National Laws 47

A. Pre-Revolution 47

B. Post-Revolution 49

2. Current legislation in force 50

A. The Tunisian Penal Code 50

B. The Tunisian Labor Code 51

3. Current Anti-Trafficking Bill of Law 52

4. The Overall Efforts of Tunisia in Dealing with this Phenomenon 54

Chapter III: The developments of Categories of Transnational Female 57

Victims in Tunisia

I) Categories of Transnational Female Victims in Tunisia 58

1. Who could be a Victim in Tunisia? 58

2. The Pre-Revolution Context of Transnational Trafficking in Women 60

A. Foreign Women and Sexual Exploitation 60

B. Foreign Women and Domestic Servitude 61

C. Tunisian Women and Sexual Exploitation Abroad 62

3. Trafficking in Women and the Context of the Tunisian Revolution 62

 Haffar 5

4. Recent Transnational Cases of Trafficked Victims 65

A. The Case of Tunisian Women Trafficked Abroad 66

B. Foreign Women Trafficking in Tunisia 69

II) Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations and Trafficking in 70

Women in Tunisia

1. Post-Revolution Governmental Efforts in Providing Protection and Help 70

for Victims

2. Post-Revolution Non-Governmental Efforts in Providing Protection and 72

Help for Victims

3. General Criticism 74

Conclusion 78

Bibliography 84

Appendices 94
 Haffar 6

INTRODUCTION
 Haffar 7

Introduction

Humanity struggled for decades to fight slavery which sneaks back into different societies
around the world taking different shapes and forms disguised under what is called today as the
modern-day slavery or trafficking in persons. This phenomenon is considered to be the third most
dangerous and widespread crime around the globe after the trade of weapons and drugs.
What we see today of trafficking in persons is nothing new or different from the
prehistoric practices of slavery; as they are two faces for the same coin. It is actually the same
thing whether we speak of selling women at Suq al-Birka 1 in the 19th century, or we speak of
forcing women into illegal prostitution after deceiving them with a fake online job today. Even
though Ahmed Bey2 abolished slavery in Tunisia in the early 1800s; slavery came back to the
Tunisian scene masked under new forms and names. It has developed further after the advent of
the Arab revolutions headed by Tunisia in January 2011. The developments detected afterwards
in cases, categories, laws and efforts show the increase of this phenomenon in the recent years
following the Tunisian Revolution.
Discrimination against women in the MENA region made it easier for traffickers to
exploit women for the nature of the Arab Muslim culture that categorizes females as second-
class citizens. Females suffer of limited opportunities and they are pressured to meet society’s
expectations, which could push them in the hands of abusers because of their fragile situation
for being dependent on the male figures in their societies.
I have become interested in the issue of Trafficking in Women for it has intrinsincally
been linked to the issues of gender, human rights, international law and governmental and non-
governmental organizations. I started conducting research on trafficking in persons in the last two
years, after meeting in person with a Nigerian victim who was trafficked into Italy through
Tunisia and who magically survived the webs of trafficking and started her own non-

1
Suq al-Birka: Where the weekly slave market in Tunis was held every Friday. Now, it is a gold market in the heart
of the Old Medina of Tunis.
2
Ahmed Bey, the tenth Husayni ruler 10 October 1837- 30 May 1855.
 Haffar 8

governmental organization to help other female victims. When I started doing research, I realized
that there is a lack of data and that little research has been done on the issue of trafficking in
Tunisia. There are limited statistics and basically no exact information on trafficked women in
both types of trafficking whether the internal or cross-border ones. Some other researches have
been conducted on the exploitation of women in Tunisia in different sectors; however, no records
exist of stating that these exploited women are trafficked. Consequently, I felt the need to conduct
my own research in order to get the truth about the dimensions of trafficking in women at the
national level and to try to help further researches in detecting and reaching out to women to
protect and help them.
As for the connection between this topic and my area of interest which is international
relations, I believe it fits perfectly for it explores the link between Tunisia and international legal
instruments, conventions, entities and efforts related to this international crime of trafficking.
Tunisia keeps good relations and ties with different international organizations and entities to
keep its long history of cooperation with the international community. Nevertheless, these good
relations are jeopardized by the lack of efforts Tunisia is putting into its fight against trafficking.
The fact that Tunisia has not yet passed its own legal national anti-trafficking laws puts it under
the spot light. The country is still lagging behind as far as the compliance with international
conventions in relation to trafficking are concerned, which has urged the U.S.A, EU and UN to
question Tunisia’s commitments towards the defense of human rights and keeping its obligations
to the international community. Consequently, this would eventually lead Tunisia to lose the
funds from the international community that supports it for committing to its promises and
obligations. It is important to note that Tunisia withdrew all its reservations to the United
Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) in 2014. That puts Tunisia under more pressure to fully comply with international
laws and to meet the expectations of the international community in defending women’s rights.
The Tunisian Uprising of 2011 played as a catalyst in relation to the development of
trafficking in women into reaching today’s notions, categories and numbers of victims. The
increase in the rate of female victims of trafficking at the local and transnational levels has urged
the Tunisian authorities to pay more attention to the shortcomings of the laws and the legal
national framework in general. In fact, it is so easy for the judicial body to simply convict
trafficked women in prostitution. Female victims experience a double injustice: being persecuted
 Haffar 9

according to outdated legal texts (dating back to 1913) after being abused and exploited as result
of trafficking. This study will discuss the historical and legal developments of the issue of
trafficking in women in Tunisia. It will explore the case studies of certain categories of local and
transnational female victims and focus on the re-victimization of women throughout the
trafficking process and after.
My research will depend basically on first-hand resources for accurate, yet new
information, statistics and testimonies. I obtained my information through interviewing
governmental and non-governmental officials. I have reached out to all concered civil society
actors (NGOs and IGOs) who work on the issue of trafficking for statistics and data relevant to
victims and traffickers and also in an attempt to know the role these actors play in fighting
trafficking. This research depends on official data from different governmental bodies, mainly the
Ministry of Interior and Justice. I am using also newspapers articles and things written on the
different forms of internal and transnational trafficking in Tunisia like the Jihad al-Nikah3 and
forced prostitution into the Gulf countries in addition to other examples. I could manage to
collect data through conducting interviews with officials, getting statistics and having access to
law cases from Tunisian courts.
With these concerns in mind, this paper aims at serving a dual purpose. First, to provide a
personal criticism of the current sitation of trafficking in women in Tunisia. Second, it will put
forward new first-hand data on victims and experts opinions in relation to the deficiency of laws
and will provide also some recommendations for a better fight in dealing with trafficking.
The main issue of re-victimization of female trafficking victims and how I view the
development of trafficking in women will be addressed in three parts. The first chapter tackles the
gradual emergence and transformation of the term of slavery into trafficking. It explores the
developments in terminology that led to today’s trafficking definition of The Palermo Protocol.
The second section of the same chapter will explore the gender perspective of trafficking in
women and what makes women more vulnerable to this crime. The second chapter discusses the
role of the government and the legal international and national decrees and conventions in
fighting trafficking in women. It will also discuss the new Tunisian bill of law on trafficking and
its efficiency in fighting trafficking. It will also look into the brief history of the legal architecture

3
Jihad Al-Nikah: also Sexual Jihad, basically it means that Muslim women travel to Syria to offer their sexual
services to the jihadists fighting their against the Assad regime in a form of doing Jihad. The latter means a war or
fight done by Muslims against non-believers.
 Haffar 10

and the development of the international texts culminating in The Palermo Protocol. The focal
issue in this chapter will be on the challenges facing Tunisia in fighting trafficking through
passing related legal texts, keeping its commitment to protecting human rights as promised when
signed international agreements, especially in the context of the post-revolution. The third
chapter will reveal new statistics and details of the newly developed transnational trafficking
crimes in women in Tunisia. This includes information about foreign women trafficked in Tunisia
and Tunisian women trafficked abroad. It puts in question the state’s decisions in dealing with
real cases of trafficked women; mainly the case of exploited women in Lebanon and foreign
women mainly African exploited in Tunisia. This is followed by a thorough criticism in relation
to all aspects related to the trafficking scene in Tunisia. Finally, I wrap up by providing some
helpful professional and personal recommendations for a better fight against trafficking.
 Haffar 11

CHAPTER І:
The Historical Development of
Trafficking in Women
 Haffar 12

I. Trafficking in Persons: Concepts and History

T
he historical development of trafficking in women has roots in ancient times with a
different naming of slavery. Different definitions have developed throughout time and
culminated with the current context of The Palermo Protocol. Following, this research
will present the different definitions given by different international tools to introduce a thorough
meaning of what trafficking is in order to build the basis of understanding this topic and put the
reader in context in relation to this not well-known phenomenon.

1. The Definitions of Trafficking in Persons

A. The International Context

Different definitions have emerged with the spread of the phenomenon according to
countries and laws. However, the UN definition is the most generally accepted internationally
and is presented through the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women (The Palermo Protocol).

Trafficking in Persons is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of

persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction,
of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the
giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having
control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at
a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual
exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or
the removal of organs.4

This definition puts forward two main ideas; the first is that slavery is the same crime of
trafficking with only a different name. The second idea is that it explores the variations of
actions, which with the presence of only one of them could make a victim of trafficking eligible
to be called as such. In fact, the Global Slavery Index identifies the term slavery itself in
addition to concepts of trafficking in persons and forced labor to describe modern forms of

4
Article 3, paragraph (a) of the United Nations. "Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women." 2000. www.osce.org 15 05 2015
 Haffar 13

slavery.5

Slavery includes “the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers
attaching to the right of ownership are exercised”. Slavery-like practices are those such as
debt bondage, forced or servile marriage, sale or exploitation of children (including in
armed conflict) and descent-based slavery.6

Consequently, from this definition, I can argue that trafficking in women today is indeed the
developed notion and form of old slavery. More details will follow in the coming sections. For
now, I will explore more the details related to the trafficking in persons.
According to the International instruments and definitions, trafficked people are subject to
all kinds of actions they are forced to do. This varies from being held as a hostage with no
freedom at all, into not getting the full salary as promised or simply working extra hours.

Trafficked people are held against their will through acts of coercion, and are forced to
work for or provide services to the trafficker or others. The work or services may include
anything from bonded or forced labor to commercial sexual exploitation. The
arrangement may be structured as a work contract, but with no or low payment, or on
terms which are highly exploitative. Sometimes the arrangement is structured as debt
bondage, with the victim not being permitted or able to pay off the debt.7

Trafficking in Persons refers to slavery in all its forms. The term ‘trafficking’ itself describes
the mechanisms and methods of recruitment and mobilization used to isolate and threaten
victims to take advantage of them. Trafficking in persons is rooted in ancient times and it has
flourished throughout history. It has been used by many civilizations, forcing individuals or
groups of individuals to total subjugation, by depriving them of their rights and freedoms. This
is why trafficking is often described as ‘Modern Slavery of the Twenty-First Century’. Even
though the phenomenon of trafficking in persons is not new, it is still very little known to the
public. 8

5
The Global Slavery Index, «The Global Slavery Index 2014.» 2014, http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/, 14
December 2014 <
https://d3mj66ag90b5fy.cloudfront.net/wpcontent/uploads/2014/11/Global_Slavery_Index_2014_final_lowres.pdf>,6
6
United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, « Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the
Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery» 30 April 1956 http://www.ohchr.org/, 5 January 2015
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/SupplementaryConventionAbolitionOfSlavery.aspx.Articles 1-7
7
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling. 2015. 05 Feb 2015
<http://www.unodc.org/lpo-brazil/en/trafico-de-pessoas/index.html>,12.
8
The International Organization for Migration, "Baseline Study on Trafficking in Persons in Tunisia: Assessing the
Scope and Manifestations." 2013, http://tunisia.iom.int, 15 February 2015
 Haffar 14

B. The Tunisian Context

In comparison with the previously stated international definitions, the Tunisian bill of law on
preventing and combating trafficking in persons defines Trafficking in persons as follows:

Trafficking in persons means attracting or recruiting people, transferring, transporting or

changing their destination or deporting them or harboring them or receiving them through
the use of force or weapons or threat by both or other forms of coercion, of abduction or
deception or exploitation of a position of vulnerability, or the abuse of power, acceptance,
or providing sums of money or benefits to gain the approval of someone who has power
over another in the purpose of exploitation of any kind whether it is the perpetrator of
such acts or by placing it at the disposal of others to exploit.9

According to the bill of law, the terms exploitation includes many forms of vulnerability. It
expands to comprise any persons exploited into prostitution, forced labor, servitude, slavery,
begging, and the removal of fetuses for the purpose of trafficking. In fact, the bill explores in
depth the meaning of exploitation as it states “..exploitation caused by the age, or their illegal
status or severe case of being in need, or the case of severe illness or addiction or pregnancy of
women or the case of mental or physical defect hindering the person concerned to face the
offender.”10 The anti-trafficking bill of law inisists on showing what vulnerability means to
introduce it to decision makers and concerned authorities for the purpose of creating a visible
profile of potential victims.

C. Definitions of Labels Related to Trafficking in Persons in the Tunisian Anti-

Trafficking Bill of Law

In addition to defining the notions of vulnerability and exploitation, the bill puts forward
different meanings of what could possibly be a situation of trafficking victims could find
themselves trapped at. I will present what originally came in the bill to provide a thorough
understanding of the different concepts considered as trafficking in Tunisia and to create a space

<http://tunisia.iom.int/sites/default/files/resources/files/IOMTunisia_BaselineStudyTrafficking_English_LR.pdf>.
9
Article 2 of the Final Draft of Tunisian Anti-Trafficking Bill of Law handed by Salma Abida. April 2015,1 (own
translation). See Appendix I
10
Ibid, 2.
 Haffar 15

for comparison, as follows:11

a. Bonded or forced labor

All work or services imposed on any person under the threat of any penalty and in which this
person has not volunteered themselves to do the work.

b. Enslavement
Any situation in which the person is forced by someone else to do work or perform services
in conditions they do not have the power to change or get rid of.

c. Slavery-like practices
Include the following cases:

 Forcing women for the purpose of marriage.

 Coercion of women to pregnancy or renting their wombs.
 Use of a child in illegal or criminal activities (such as in armed conflicts).
 Adoption of a child for the purpose of exploitation of any kind.
 Economic or sexual exploitation of children on their employment.
 Debt Bondage: the situation arising from forcing the debtor to perform work or services
either by themselves or another dependent person as a guarantee to a debt they owe if the
fair value of that work or service is not used to pay off this debt or if the service’s period
or nature was undetermined.
 Serfdom: the situation arising from the obligation under the agreement that the person
lives and works on the land of another and that the person who provides work or services
to the other person with or without compensation and without having the freedom to
change their situation.

d. Slavery
Forcing a person to perform a work or services according to conditions that person has no
power of escaping or changing.

11
The original words own translation from the Tunisian Anti-Trafficking bill.
 Haffar 16

e. Sexual exploitation
Getting benefits of any kind by involving a person in sexual work whether its prostitution or
by providing any sexual services including abusing them in pornography through the production
of porn or its promotion by any means. 12

D. Differences Between Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants

Even though trafficking and smuggling are naturally linked, they are different in many ways.
On the one hand, trafficking has the possibility to appear within borders in the absence of real
movement. This could happen to internal trafficking cases of different forms of exploitation such
as domestic servitude. It is true though that there is some sense of dislocation by the mere fact of
subjecting victims to mental isolation. It is important to note that the reality of trafficking is
different than what everybody thinks of the mere fact of moving someone from one country to
another by force, as in fact, it could be carried out in the same country in the absence of a
trafficking network. Members of families and close friends could be responsible for the
exploitation of the victim.
On the other hand, smuggling of migrants means any illegal way of entering a destination
state through a third party. This means that the smuggled person is fully aware that he will be
moved from one country to another through a network or a person who would take in charge all
the responsibility of finding a way to get that smuggled person in to the destination country.
So, here we see the difference in borders notion between trafficking and smuggling as the nature
of smuggling necessitates the cross-border displacement.13 Therefore, trafficking in persons and
smuggling of migrants are often confused not only because of their nature of crossing borders or
illegal migration, but also because of their interconnectedness as smuggling could lead to
trafficking.14
Hence, the two definitions provided by the additional Protocols of the Convention of

12 The issue of sexual exploitation caused arguments within the committee whether launching this law will lead to
the cancellation of the legislation which regulates public prostitution and the committee had decided to leave
decisiveness in this matter to the concerned governmental entities which will be discussed in Chapter II.
13
European Council "Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United
Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime." 24 July 2006. http://ec.europa.eu 19 June 2015
14
Supra Note 8
 Haffar 17

2000, further show the difference between trafficking and smuggling in the notion of documents’
confiscation.15 In the trafficking act and as the victim is forced into his/her situation, traffickers
confiscate their legal documents what puts them under more pressure. The victim then finds
herself/himself in a forced illegal status under threat and menace. While in the case of the
smuggled person who has a status of an illegal immigrant, these reactions would not take place
for the simple reason of pre-arranged agreement. The crossing of borders by illegal means
includes false documentations and papers. Consequently, the relationship between the smuggler
and the migrant usually ends once the latter arrives at their destination. This crime is considered
to be primarily a crime against a state unlike trafficking, which is a crime against an individual.
On a different note, the year 2011 was marked by the advent of the Arab Spring in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly in Tunisia, the first country to have toppled
its regime. These revolutions have triggered an unprecedented wave of migration flows across the
region. Tunisia witnessed a considerable wave of migrants whether Tunisians immigrating to
Europe or international migrants who sought refuge in Tunisia.16Refugee camps were set up in
the Southeast part of the country in order to address the situation. Besides, Tunisia was used as a
platform for transit to European countries, and especially to the Italian island of Lampedusa. 17
These massive and unexpected migrations have increased the vulnerability of migrants to
trafficking in persons, especially women and minors, but surprisingly enough trafficking in
persons did not seem to be a priority for Tunisian authorities at that moment. The seriousness of
this issue was not apparent to concerned experts at that time, as many other aspects seemed to be
more urgent to be dealt with like writing the new constitution.

2. Historical Background of Slavery

Slavery dates back in history to thousands of years, as it existed in prehistoric societies, which
lived on hunting and owning people. At that time, it was more of an institution than it is today.
Keeping in mind that slaves have always suffered from physical and sexual exploitation, the topic

15
Supra Note 13
16
According to the IOM, most of the migrants were Libyans and workers from different nationalities (Sub-Saharan
Africans and Asians), and Syrians who sought refuge after the Syrian war which erupted in Syria in 2011.
17
Supra Note 8, 17.
 Haffar 18

of trafficking in persons and its link to exploitation has a shorter history. 18

A. The History of Slavery in Africa

Even though forms of slavery existed before the 1400s, the beginning of that
century marked the start of European slave trading in Africa with the Portuguese then
the British joined in the transportation of people from Africa into using them as
slaves.19When it comes to Africa, Slavery existed more than 3,500 years ago, women
constituted the majority of early African slaves. In addition to agricultural work,
female slaves carried out other economic functions, such as trading in addition to
domestic shores.
With the rise of humanitarian sentiments in Western Europe and with the 18th century Age of
Enlightenment in Europe and the shift in economy from agriculture to industry, a movement to
abolish the slave trade and the practice of slavery came into being in the Western world starting
in Britain in 1807. Slavery in Africa was almost abolished in the 1930s. However, the pain and
stigma of being a slave still affects descendants of slaves. 20

B. The History of White Slave Trade

The world started to pay attention to the (The international trade of women) with the
movement against white slavery, which means “The procurement-by use of force, deceit or
drugs-of a white woman or a girl against her will for prostitution.” 21
Some figures prove that trade in women existed in the end of 1800 and beginning of 1900.
Beginning 20th century, some international agreements started to emerge to fight trafficking in
women such as the International Agreement for the Suppression of the ‘White Slave Traffic’ of
1904, which was signed in Paris and aimed to ensure that women and girls are protected against

18 Freedom From Fear Magazine, A Short History of Trafficking in Persons, 23 February 2010, 10 March 2015 <
http://f3magazine.unicri.it/?p=281
19 Cora Agatucci, African Slave Trade and European Imperialism, 01 January 2010, 19 January 2015
<http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline3.htm>
20
Richard Brown, Slavery in Africa, 2000, 15 April 2015
<http://autocww.colorado.edu/~flc/E64ContentFiles/AfricanHistory/SlaveryInAfrica.html>
21
Doezema, Joe, «Loose women or lost women? the re-emergence of the myth of white slavery in contemporary
discourses of trafficking in women.» December 1999,http://link.springer.com 22 March 2015
<http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12147-999-0021-9#page-1>
 Haffar 19

criminal traffic known as the “White Slave Traffic”. After that, in 1910, International Convention
for the Suppression of the White Slave Trade was signed by thirteen countries and focused on the
criminalization of trafficking,22 while the 1904 agreement addressed the migration side of the
issue. After that, National Committees for the suppression of traffic were established in many
European countries and started to work as a foundation for international discussions on white
slave trade in order to join forces to fight the crime. However, the World War I(World War One),
in1914 put an end to any further development of international work against traffic at that time.
The term white slavery was faced with criticism as it put many other women outside Europe in
the shadows, so it was eventually changed into “Traffic in Women”. This change of terminology
also reflects the move of discussion from the national to the international level, making it
explicitly a global issue.23
In 1927, The League of Nations was founded after WWI and had the goal of maintaining
world peace and focusing on international issues such as human trafficking. The Suppression of
White Slave Traffic was changed to "traffic in women and children" so that everyone was
included with no discrimination to race. 24
In 1904, the International Agreement for the Suppression of "White Slave Traffic" was signed
and put into action. The purpose of this agreement was to protect women, young and old, from
being involved in "white slave traffic." White slavery referred to forcing or deceiving a white
woman or girl into prostitution. Some people argue, however, that this act was only put into place
in order to control the number of European women who were seeking to find jobs abroad. In this
vein Emma Goldman states:

Only when human sorrows are turned into a toy with glaring colors will baby people
become interested – for a while at least. The people are very fickle babies that must have
new toys every day. The “righteous” cry against the white slave traffic is such a toy. It
serves to amuse the people for a little while, and it will help to create a few more fat
political jobs – parasites who stalk about the world as inspectors, investigators, detectives,

22
United Nations Treaties Collection, International Convention for the Suppression of the "White Slave Traffic," May
4, 1910, 211 Consol. T.S. 45, 1912 GR. Brit. T.S. No. 20, as amended by Protocol Amending the International
Agreement for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic, and Amendi. 1951,2 January 2015.
23
Brian.Donovan,. White Slave Crusades: Race, Gender, and Anti-vice Activism. Illinois: (University of Illinois
Press, 2006), 51.
24
Ciara Segura, When did trafficking in women become a human rights issue? – The "white slavery" panic, 27 May
2010, 4 October 2014
<http://stanford.edu/group/womenscourage/cgibin/blogs/sextraffickingandprostitution/2010/05/27/when-did-
trafficking-in-women-become-a-human-rights-issue-the-white-slavery-panic/>.
 Haffar 20

and so forth. What is really the cause of the trade in women? Exploitation, of course.25

Emma is being skeptical about the reality that pushes women into prostitution and abuse. She
points out to how politicians and decision makers even when they tend to seem serious about
saving women in need who find themselves trapped in the actions of prostitution, for a better life,
don’t really move to stop this. It is as if they make a scene just to push the blame away, but in
reality, no real actions are being taken to put an end to exploiting women.
When it comes to international trafficking of women, the destination countries have changed
over the course of time. In Fact, the report of the League of Nations in 1927 illustrated how
women were trafficked from Europe to some other destination countries such as Tunisia, Algeria,
and Brazil, and after 80 years, these counties became the source of trafficking, the other way
round. Therefore, the main victims of trafficking 80 years ago were Europeans and now it is the
contrary. The United Nations held the fourth World Conference in 1995 to address the issue of
trafficking of women. The biggest outcome of this conference was the fact that trafficking was
recognized as an act of violence against women, and the concept of trafficking was further
defined ("Trafficking").26

C. History of Slavery in Tunisia

Trafficking in persons is not a new phenomenon. In History, this practice which was part of
slavery was widespread in the Muslim world and in the North African region. Thousand years
before the Christian era, Caravans coming from the south, were going towards Tunisia, Kairawan,
the capital of Ifriqiyya.27 From there, slaves were transported to the coastal ports of the
Mediterranean.
Slave’s routes, better known as Trans-Atlantic sea passages witnessed thousands who were
aggressively taken away from their homes against their will to cross on foot the 2000 kilometers
through the Sahara’s sand storms and end up sold ‘legally’ on governments’ slave markets in

25
Emma Goldman, «The White Slave Traffic.» 1910,http://theanarchistlibrary.org/, 6 October 2014
http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-the-white-slave-traffic.pdf,19.
26
The United Nations, The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women,September 1995, 12 January 2015
<http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/violence.htm>.
27
Ifriqiyya was the name of Tunisia during middle ages.
 Haffar 21

Istanbul, Tunis and other places. Around 1300 slaves were imported in Tunisia by the end of 18th,
beginning 19th Century.28 The black slave was a common phenomenon in Tunisia's households.
In 1841, up to thirty slaves, mostly women, were bought and sold in the Suq al-Birka. As the
slave trade developed in the middle Ages, the "intra-African and Eastern trafficking" got spread
over fourteen centuries.
In the Tunisian Context, the Phoenicians established the origin of slavery in the country from
the tenth century BC, and the founders of Carthage in 814 BC. The first slaves came at that time
from the local Berber people. Slavery in Tunisia responded primarily to the specific needs of
urban society. The slave property was then a sign of nobility in Tunisian cities. Unlike men, it
was very rare for a woman to be “sold” a second time because women mostly converted to Islam,
which prohibits the enslavement of a Muslim. Although it has been an important center of slavery
in the region, in the 19th Century, Tunisia; however, was at the head of the fight against this
practice.
In January 1841, Ahmed Bey announced a decree to abolish black slavery in Tunisia. With
this decision, Tunisia has become the first Arab country to break with such institution taken for
granted since immemorial times. It took five years for the Tunisian abolition decree to come to its
conclusion in 1846. The slave market of Tunis was permanently closed in August 1842, and
slavery was abolished in the country. Slavery persisted until the early twentieth century in the
region. 29 It ended at the beginning of the twentieth century, as the last slave market was closed in
Morocco in 1920. However, today’s average price of a slave equals less than one tenth of its
value during the Roman Empire. 30

3. Trafficking in Persons

A. Trafficking in Persons in the MENA region

28
E.C. Haven, "The abolition of slavery in Tunisia (1846): A study into its historical backgrounds and its juridico-
theological legitimization."2006.https://openaccess.leidenuniv.n. 17 January
2015https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/4968/second%20chapter%20dissertatie.pdf?sequence=5,
349-357
29
The Decree on the prohibition of slavery in the regency of 29/5/1890 states in its first article: "Slavery does not
exist and it is forbidden in the Regency; all human beings, without distinction of nationality or color, are free and
may also, if they believe injured, resort to laws and magistrates”, 47.
30
Supra note 21
 Haffar 22

Between 2010 and 2012, the MENA region reported a higher overall proportion of victims of
trafficking for forced labor than other parts of the world, and it is the most detected form of
trafficking in the region (49%), followed by sexual abuse (36%), other types of exploitation
(14%) and finally the removal of organs (0.8%). Trafficking in African women also took place in
the Middle East as cases of exploitation of people from North Africa were identified in the
Middle East between 2007 and 2010.31
As a result of what is called “The Arab Spring”, migration from North Africa towards Europe
has risen and raised challenges for the MENA region as these flows of immigrants are dangerous
for the migrants as trafficking could happen at any moment.32 According to the global database
on trafficking victims assisted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than
50% of cases assisted in the MENA region are internal trafficking and female victims account for
55% in 2011.33

B. Trafficking in Persons in Tunisia

When it comes to examining the phenomenon of trafficking in Tunisia, it is very important to

understand the political, economic and socio-cultural contexts of the country in order to come to
a better and deeper understanding of the actors involved, the main causes of this phenomenon,
and categories of victims. In the context of post January 14, 2011 and the democratic transition, it
is very important to focus on the changes at the national level in relation to security and stability.
Sami Ben Houidi pointed out the important role the revolution played in changing the
situation of the country. He states:
My question is how the revolution changed the situation of the country? As before, it used
to be a dictatorship, someone in power who claims to be the protector of rights and
freedoms on the international scene, and the country claimed to be protecting Tunisian
women where they couldn’t be abused. That Tunisia is protecting all citizens and
celebrate its political, social and economic achievements in a dictatorship. But, we were
not allowed to speak about violating women rights and dignity before at that era, and now,
after the revolution, we all got our freedoms, so we can criticize all authorities and
institutions and we can discuss taboos. That is why it seems that the phenomenon is wide

31
Supra note 8, 49
32
Sarah Craggs, «Fighting Trafficking in Persons with the approach based on Human Rights.»Fighting Trafficking in
Persons with the approach based on Human Rights,Tunis: Annual Report of Activities 2011 (IOM (2012), 2012. 21).
33
Supra Note 8, 49
 Haffar 23

spread now, because it is discussed overtly.34

From the previous statement and from an opinion of an expert at the Ministry of Justice, it is
important to note that the revolution and the changes it brought ranging from democracy to
freedoms is what makes the trafficking in persons phenomenon seems wide spread. We hear of it
more today, and we see some action to fight it, contrary to the dictatorship time. If the image of
the protector of the country was to be shaken by speaking about such crimes in Tunisia, then it
makes perfect sense that we lived in a bubble of a good image, just to reflect the good image of
the leader. It had nothing to do with really protecting victims and keeping the country safe.

4. Factors that Contribute to the Trafficking Structure in Tunisia

In order to understand the situation of trafficking in persons in Tunisia today we need to look
at the new, post-revolution context of the country. Since 2011, Tunisia has witnessed political
instability, raise of the unemployment rate, social marginalization and growing economic
inequalities. These are the main factors that can make individuals more vulnerable to
exploitation.
Geographically, Tunisia’s 1,300 kilometers of coastline facing Italy in addition to its proximity
to the island of Lempadusa, make it an ideal transit destination for trafficking in persons.35
Politically speaking, the revolution of January 14, 2011 forced Tunisia to enter a new phase of
political instabilities and the country has been at crossroads since then, which led to the
development of trafficking in persons on both national and transnational levels.
Tunisia is now engaged in a process of institutional reform and democratic transition as it is
still working on reforming laws. The Constitution of 1959 was revoked, and the new constitution
was adopted in January 26, 2014. Following the political assassinations of opposition leaders,
this new Constitution faced major challenges and had been the subject of much debate. It
addressed topics such as religion and state and women’s rights. These debates were closely
monitored in order to better understand the development of public policies in the fight against
human trafficking, based on the interaction of gender. 36

34
Houidi, Sami Ben. Assistant Director-General of the Department of judicial interests in the Ministry of Justice.
Interviewed by Racha Haffar. 20 April 2015. See Appendix X
35
Supra Note 8, 29
36
Supra Note 8, 32
 Haffar 24

On the legal side, the revolution created some sort of legal vacuum where attempts of placing
a new legal framework took long, especially considering the period of adopting the new
constitution. Since 2007, the suggestion of a bill of law against trafficking in persons has started
and only recently the draft of this law became ready for adoption by the new parliament.
The security system created an even more favorable situation for crimes such as trafficking in
persons as it gave more attention to relatively more serious topics such as terrorism and adopted
them as a priority and turned a blind eye to the crime of trafficking in persons and forced labor. In
fact, some security officials are involved in such crimes by receiving bribes and ignoring the
situation.37

If you wonder what the main reason which made this phenomenon more spread now, I
would say the answer is the security vacuum. The security sector changed its techniques
and the officials now claim that they cannot reach the truth and work properly without
using force or weapons, which is a traditional way of dealing with criminals. Therefore, in
such a transitional period, information is chaotic, unlike during dictatorships when
information reaches authorities instantly.38

Sami ben Houidi pointed out the way the talks on exploitations started and how talks about
freedoms started to rise to the surface. Bit by bit, people started to question corruption and
exploitation, especially those issues and files related to women’s rights’ violations and women
exploited in prisons by the judicial system right when things started to settle down after the
Libyan revolution. In addition, Ben Houidi stated the fact that chaotic status of Libyan
immigrants who fled their country is jeopardizing our security. These Libyans do not respect the
laws and they use their wealth in getting what they want, which makes it even unsafe for Tunisian
women.
When it comes to the socio-economic context, poverty and marginalization are the main
reasons for exploitation of people into crimes such as trafficking, as they increase their
vulnerability especially women to fall in the hands of traffickers. The country is facing a major
economic set back and the Tunisian economic growth seems rather slow. Contrary to urbanized
eastern cities, rural western ones still suffer from inequalities in employment and access to social
services such as education and health care. With high rates of unemployment which vary between

37
Supra Note 34
38
Ibid 34
 Haffar 25

31% and 48% among graduates,39 that facilitates the youth becoming victims of trafficking in
Tunisia and out. In addition, due to the lack of stable markets and job opportunities in the formal
sector, many citizens are employed in the underground economy representing 85% of Tunisian
companies, according to the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA). A
recent survey by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) suggests that informal employment
represents 42% of total employment in Tunisia, absorbing a very important part of the labor force
mainly in trade and services. This situation endangers many Tunisians, and increases the risk of
exploitation.
At the social level, 15.5% of Tunisians were under the poverty line in 2010 and 4.6% below
extreme poverty. Women and children are usually the most affected by poverty, as it exposes
them to the lack of schooling, work at a young age and risky situations. The social, economic and
cultural difficulties can push people to leave their area and go to the big cities, and even to leave
their countries in search of better opportunities, without preparation or the necessary information
for local integration and protection from trafficking networks.

II. Trafficking in Women: The Gender Perspective

As I have discussed earlier, Trafficking in persons is not a new phenomenon and the biggest
fractions of affected victims are women. The problem is that this crime has taken a new turn
when it comes to the gender issue and women’s rights. Women and girls are the most vulnerable
category. Trafficking is directly linked with prostitution what makes it an even more complicated
issue for women. The growing justification of violations of women rights is created by further
criminalizing them when they get involved in sexual acts without paying attention to the causes
and the nature of that sexual act. That jeopardizes these women’s positions and subjects them to
more vulnerability. The question is whether these women were sexually abused, exploited, or
involved in prostitution. It is important to distinguish between both issues and not jump into
obvious conclusions linking both actions. Trafficking happens for other reasons than prostitution,
and prostitution could be in a different context than trafficking. Hence, governments should start
separating between both acts and not only focus on prostitution.40

39
Supra Note 8, 31
40
Milena Sandra, "Theoretical Reading in Trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation in
 Haffar 26

During the drafting of the Palermo Protocol, debates about prostitution remained unresolved,
leading to little and not fair efforts in legislative, preventative and rehabilitative efforts in dealing
with victims and stereotyping. When approaching trafficking from a gender perspective, the
matter of prostitution remains of an open-ended problematic to legislation makers. The Protocol
left the “exploitation of the prostitution of others” and “other forms of sexual exploitation”
undefined, and failed to decide whether voluntary adult prostitution should be considered
trafficking or not. Consequently, deciding on keeping this matter as a domestic jurisdiction. Even
though this protocol has broadened the concept to include children and labor trafficking, the
governments, scholars and decision makers still view trafficking from a sexual exploitation lens
and fail-to a certain extent- to investigate through the other forms. Hence, it is necessary to shift
this perspective and have a different, yet insightful view on trafficking and gender.
On a different note, globalization of information, technology and borders helped trafficking
grow by giving traffickers a chance to operate transnationally and reach out to bigger numbers of
victims. It also gave a grave dimension to female victims by showing them the outer world
through technology to find better jobs and living conditions. As a result of the growing globalized
world, flows of work migrants have increased and put more females at the risk of being exploited
and trafficked. 41
Still, we must study the social and cultural contexts which lead female victims into webs of
this crime. The MENA region has the highest measured level of discrimination against women.
The widespread exploitation of women into domestic servitude shows their inferior status. They
are also affected by their gender as their ability to access justice once exploited is jeopardized. In
fact, for some countries, a woman’s testimony turns against her as in courts it is worth half of a
man’s testimony and judges view women who testify against their sexual abusers by immorality
and accuse them with adultery. The mere fact of being a woman, not only increases exposure to
being exploited, but also triggers re-victimization once trapped. Millions of women are potential
victims at any moment, including females of all ages. These victims are subject to all forms of
violence by organized criminal networks, individual criminals, community and more importantly

prostitution.Case of Study: Columbia." 2010. http://www.banrepcultural.org 15 January 2015

<http://www.banrepcultural.org/sites/default/files/ma.tesis-explotacion-sexual-caso-colombia-sandra-milena-
cardozo-pro.pdf>
41
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women,«Guide to the New UN trafficking protocol.» 2001,http://www.no-
trafficking.org,18 May 15 <http://www.no
trafficking.org/content/pdf/guide_to_the_new_un_trafficking_protocol.pdf>, 3.
 Haffar 27

family members. All countries are subject to this horrible crime, whether by being countries of
origin, transit, or destination for victims. In the MENA region, not only citizens are affected, but
also expats or foreigners who come from other parts of the world to work in the region find
themselves entrapped in such crimes. The spark that the Tunisian revolution had started spread
out to the region and created a wave of revolutions leading to the displacement of many people.
More than a million people around the region, but more specifically in and into Tunisia, this
movement of migrants shed the light on the situation of exploitation of migrants and also
refugees and on the measures needed to be taken to protect displaced people from trafficking in
persons in all its forms.
Trafficking in persons is a global phenomenon which is hard to be traced and the number of its
victims can never be set exactly. In fact, it is estimated that there are 800,000 victims of trans-
national trafficking every year.42 Internal trafficking victims and networks would score a bigger
number. This universal crime affects all continents and it does not spare neither the MENA region
nor Tunisia in particular.43
Tunisia achieved a first step in its commitment to the fight against the crime on a national
level by ratifying the 2003 United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking
in Persons, especially women and children (Palermo Protocol), supplementing to the United
Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. In addition, the Tunisian
government has been working on the drafting and adoption of a national law against trafficking in
persons, through the Ministry of Justice and the ministry of human rights (now dissolved) since
2009. More recently, the Tunisian government has committed to implement a series of measures
to fight more effectively the crime of trafficking in persons, especially within the Ministries of
Interior and Justice. (The following chapter will provide more details about this issue).
Tunisia is found to be a source, destination, and possible transit country for women, men and
children subjected to different forms of trafficking and most importantly forced labor and sexual
exploitation. Women migrants who fled unrest in neighboring countries like Libya continue on
being vulnerable in Tunisia. Trafficking was identified in Choucha Camp44 at the Libyan border,
according to the United Nations Hugh Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Tunisian women
also get false promises of work in the MENA region in certain countries, such as Lebanon, the

42
Supra Note 8, 8.
43
Ibid
44
Choucha Camp, the Tunisian refugee camp established in 2011 to house those fleeing the Libyan conflict.
 Haffar 28

United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Jordan. Upon arrival, they find themselves forced into
prostitution. 45 At the national level, and over the past years, some young Tunisian girls who are
between 15 and 18 years-old were exploited in prostitution in the coastal cities like Sousse.
While, the ones who are sent to work as domestic servants for wealthy families in Tunis and
major coastal cities come mainly from the northwest part of the country. In addition, Women
from west and east Africa are subject to forced labor as domestic workers in Tunisia and
beyond.46 Worldwide women are mainly exploited for sexual purposes, which is one of the worst
forms of Gender-based violence. It is therefore important to try to analyze the trafficking in
persons from a gender perspective and to look at the situation of women in Tunisia to understand
the different types of exploitations they could undergo.
We cannot deny the fact that Tunisia is known to be the leading Arab country in women rights
as Tunisian women are pointed at by being privileged compared to all other women in the region.
In fact, the Tunisian Constitution of 1959 has offered Tunisian women a better status when it
recognized the principle of equal rights between men and women in all areas.47 The country is
still proving to be on top of the list for achieving women rights and gender equality. In parallel to
these efforts, legislative reforms at the national level were implemented which include most
importantly the law of February 2008, which harmonizes the age of marriage (18 years for men
and women). In addition, The United Nations confirmed receipt, in April 23, 2014, of Tunisia’s
decision to fully and officially withdraw all its reservations to the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). By that, it became the first country to
do so in the region.
However, when assessing the current gap in the pre-supposed gender equality in a context of
an Arab state, we understand why it is impossible to see gender equality in Tunisian families, in
public spaces and in the labor market. The status of women remains lower than that of men. Just
as is the case everywhere around the world, and Tunisia here makes no exception. When we
examine the vulnerabilities created as a result of the gendered-based treatment, in some parts of
the world more than others, we understand what actually feeds trafficking in both the demand and
supply. These vulnerabilities are the consequence of a gender-biased history where political,

45
Departement, U.S State. «U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report.» June 2013. www.state.gov. 4
February 2015 <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf>.
46
See Appendix V
47
According to CREDIF, Center for Research, Studies, Documentation, and Information on Women in Tunisia. It is a
Governmental institution related to the Ministry of Women, Family and Childhood.
 Haffar 29

economic and social standards and norms oblige women to be dependent on men. Consequently,
they become vulnerable and susceptible to all kinds of abuse if that “male figure” and his support
are shaken somehow. In fact, there is a gender dimension to poverty and a whole concept called
“the Feminization of Poverty.”48 This has appeared after the growth in number of poor people
who are female as the majority of the 1.5 billion people living on 1 dollar a day or less are
women. The past decades have witnessed the growth in the cycle of poverty when assessing the
gap between women and men. Worldwide, women earn on average somehow less than 50 per
cent of what men earn. This goes back to the fact that women are marginalized in their
prospective societies as they are denied access to education, credit land and inheritance. Their
efforts are gone unrecognized and that creates a deeper gap in the gender spectrum. The denial of
support services and community ones remain big to women in many areas around the globe.
Consequently, these deprived women find themselves in an empty circle where they can’t access
resources to change their situation, and consequently remain poor, which pushes them indirectly
into the webs of traffickers. In 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action which was adopted by the
Fourth World Conference on Women called for countries to “undertake legislative and
administrative reforms to give women full and equal access to economic resources, including the
right to inheritance and to ownership of land", after realizing the gender dimension to poverty and
how to overcome it by improving the status of women.49
Globally, the perception that poverty is becoming feminized is increasing, meaning an
increasing number of the world’s poorest population females. “More than one billion people in
the world today, the great majority of whom are women, live in unacceptable conditions of
poverty, mostly in the developing countries” according to the Platform for Action adopted at the
Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995. Examining this from a
feminist approach, the focus is on the gender implications and the costs of poverty on the social
aspect. In her opinion, Moghadam states: “They include the growing involvement of women and
children in the informal economy; differential treatment of girls and boys in households; pressure
to get girls married off quickly; higher school dropout rates for girls; less control over fertility;

48
Valentine M.Moghadam, «SHS Papers in Women’s Studies/ Gender.» 2003, http://www.cpahq.org/,6 January 2015
<http://www.cpahq.org/cpahq/cpadocs/Feminization_of_Poverty.pdf>, 3.
49
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The Feminization of Poverty. May
2000. 12 December 2014 <http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/followup/session/presskit/fs1.htm>.
 Haffar 30

and recourse to prostitution.” 50

Many females around the world do not have access to education, proper health care or
employment. They can be put in isolation and then in the quest for a positive change in their lives
through seeking a source of income they become victims of all kinds of abuse and exploitation.
When looking at the growing sectors of “feminized” economy -bride trade, domestic workers,
commercial sex- we find a link between the latter and the increasing demand for female
trafficking victims. 51
The “feminization of migration” is a result of the feminization of poverty, as these women
risk everything to find a source of income abroad to help them survive and support their families
and with all these restrictive travelling procedures, some women tend to resort to smugglers who
eventually traffic them.52 In addition to this, the different practices of paying women less wages,
using them in hard agricultural jobs and forcing them into domestic servitude for the simple fact
that it is the female’s job to work domestically as a stereotype only complicates the life for female
in societies with such practices. Thus, trafficked women are seen by their employers as cheap,
easier to control and more submissive in doing their jobs. Consequently, the demand grows and
the number of female victims grows accordingly. When women find themselves tied to men, they
become more vulnerable to trafficking in patriarchal societies. These societies have institutional
and social flaws, which create injustice towards women by categorizing them as the male’s
property and a second hand citizen. Discriminatory laws create a sense that women cannot decide
on themselves, cannot act or own properties and even cannot have a free economic status away
from the male to whom she is tied. When the female’s well-being and the will to decide on her
own is taken away from her, she becomes vulnerable to trafficking once the male guardian is
gone. I would like to point out that in the Arab Muslim cultures, girls and women face huge
difficulties in growing in such patriarchal societies. Females grow exhausted of the lack of
opportunities and recognition as equals. As a result, many try to escape their realities for a better
future, seeking what they believe might be a better life, but they often end up as victims of
trafficking. Here in Tunisia, many young girls seek refuge from their family control, as they do

50
Supra Note 48
51
The United States Department of State,"Gender Imbalance in Human Trafficking," 15 June 2009, state.gov, 2 April
2015 <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/126792.pdf>
52
Gabhan, Nic, "Human Trafficking: A twenty First Century Slavery." 2006, jstore.org,2015 Mai 19
http://www.jstor.org/stable/27665410 ,531.
 Haffar 31

not have the freedom to decide on many things related to their own lives. For them, seeking a job
in the Gulf or the Middle East seems like the open door that never existed in their hometown
reality. However, when they find themselves under threat with their passports confiscated to work
in nightclubs and other places where they get sexually abused, it is only then that they realize the
loss. In my opinion, if these women had not found themselves victims of social, political and
economic inequalities in their country, they would not have looked for better chances abroad and
they would not have become victims for trafficking networks like the ones which trafficked
Tunisian women in Lebanon. (Cases of victims will be further discussed in Chapter III). 53
In the Tunisian case, "There should be no discrimination between men and women" as stated
in the Labor Code.54 In many sectors, wage inequalities remain apparent. Tunisian women are
affected by regional disparities at the economic and social levels. Rural women in agriculture, for
example, earn up to half as much as men and work more hours. Tunisian women also suffer from
a literacy rate 15% higher than men but are less likely to continue their studies, although they do
better in their studies than their male counterparts, that goes back to the fact that females are
looked down to in their families. Finally, the exploitation of some young girls who come from
marginalized areas into domestic servitude makes them destined for that for life at an early age.
When assessing the context of violence against women in Tunisia, it is necessary to understand
the context of development of certain cases of exploitation. According to a recent study, 47% of
women aged 18-64 report having experienced at least one form of physical, psychological, sexual
or economic violence in their lives.55 So, examining the violence women experience is important
because it makes it clear why they become more susceptible to manipulation and exploitation.
Perpetrators could possibly be as close to the woman as her family members and husband. Most
importantly, this issue should be addressed not only by individuals but also by the government
and civil society in order to defend the rights of women, and protect them from such crimes.
Facing stigma in Tunisia, young, single mothers, who have children out of the wedlock, are
vulnerable to trafficking. They are classified by their society as inferior and of a lower rank and
they lose basic human rights. In fact, these young women when they are isolated, sometimes
minors, are subject to various forms of exploitation, especially when they try to meet the needs of
53
Ibid
54
Article 5 (a) of the Tunisian Labor Code.
55
United Nations Population Fund, «Addressing Violence against Women and Girls in Sexual and Reproductive
Health Services.» 2010. http://www.unfpa.org/ 10 January 2015
<http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/addressing_violence.pdf>
 Haffar 32

their child. Therefore, it is highly important to establish a stronger legal framework to support
them.
On the other hand, regardless of all the efforts made in the Tunisian judicial system and the
new additions which are considered gender-friendly in the Tunisian new bill of law, which I will
explain in the next paragraphs, the cases of sexual exploitation of women in trafficking incidents
remain problematic for the judicial system. As, these crimes are categorized under the frame of
ethical crimes, and of course prostitution. A group of NGOs which support prostitution as legal
work and in response to the Palermo Protocol lobbied to limit the definition of trafficking into
forced trafficking, and to omit the terms of trafficking for prostitution or sexual exploitation.
They also wanted to remove the notion of the victim and limit it to only those women who could
prove that they were forced into prostitution after being trafficked; however, the demand was
disregarded. This sounds just like what the judicial system is Tunisia is doing today with
trafficking victims, as in Tunisia like the case of many Arab countries, trafficking in women has
always been linked with prostitution. The Tunisian judicial system demands these victims to
prove that they were forced into prostitution, and if proved otherwise, then they would be
convicted with this “ethical” crime. Article 3b of the Palermo Protocol insures “that victims of
trafficking will not bear the burden of proof”. Back to the point of the separation of prostitution
and trafficking as Article 3a calls for no separation between both actions for victims. But at the
same time, it acknowledges that “much trafficking is for the purpose of prostitution and for other
forms of sexual exploitation” but not only that as victims could be trafficked for forced labor. The
argument about legalizing prostitution is also present among experts in Tunisia as they see in it a
way of violating women rights. According to the General Prosecutor, Sadok Amari, who states:
“These laws which regulate prostitution in Tunisia make women more vulnerable to sexual
exploitation. They control the permit of prostitutes and their status which, to me, is another face
to legalizing trafficking in women. Hence, this law should be banned as it also dates back to the
56
French occupation era.” Similar arguments on the international scene were discussed as they
link the legalization of prostitution with the growth of women trafficking; however, this is not my
main argument in this research, so I will not go into it in details.
I want to assess the presentation of gender-based arguments in three laws against trafficking

56
Amari, Sadok. Interview with the Attorney General at the Ministry of Justice. Interviwed by Racha Haffar. 3 April
2015. See Appendix X.
 Haffar 33

in persons and compare the international performance in drafting the laws to the Tunisian one.
When examining the Palermo Protocol and comparing it to the Council of Europe Convention on
Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and the Tunisian bill against trafficking in persons, I
would like to point out what I have observed in relation to the level of gender-sensitivity these
laws have provided: all the laws mention gender equality and gender issues and women rights;
however, with a slight difference.
First, when evaluating the Palermo Protocol, I noticed that it mentions gender and women a
few times. In fact, it is mentioned in Article 2, as it specifies women as a vulnerable category to
trafficking. The word gender is mentioned in Article 6 as it indicates that state parties should pay
attention to the gender of victims and provide them with special care. In addition, in the article
about prevention, it states that victims should be protected from victimization, especially women.
The fourth point of the same article provides an important stress on strengthening the preventive
measures and specifies the factors that push women to trafficking like poverty and lack of equal
opportunities.
Second, when examining the Council of Europe Convention Action against Trafficking in
Human Beings57, it seems to be more gender-friendly as it takes into consideration women
vulnerability and the importance of posing the question of gender equality as a reason for
affecting women and victimizing them. It pinpoints the fact that international laws and
frameworks should avoid pay into avoiding any discrimination based on sexual grounds and
guarantee gender equality through combatting this phenomenon. All signatory parties to these
conventions should pay attention to gender mainstreaming when working on raising awareness to
protect future victims. When it comes to preventive measure, parties should take into account
gender differences into tackling developing educational programs, paying attention to girls who
might not get proper education and into reaching a positive change on the level of educational
programs which play an unfair role into spreading unacceptable nature of discrimination based on
sex, causing gender inequality in societies. Also, in helping victims, it is important to have a
gender-sensitive approach into providing women with more adequate techniques. One of the
other interesting points is that each party should pay attention to expatriation solutions to avoid
re-victimizing women. Article 17 on gender equality bounds each party into promoting gender

57
Council of Europe. Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. 2005. 20 July
2015 <http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/197.htm>
 Haffar 34

equality through the use of gender responsible measures. This convention shall not affect the
rights and obligations derived from the provisions of the Protocol supplementing the United
Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which is intended to enhance the
protection afforded by it.
Third, the Tunisian Anti-Trafficking bill of law goes with the main principle of the Palermo
Protocol as its stresses the importance of stating victims specially women as being the most
vulnerable category. In addition, the Tunisian law has introduced important and new aspects of
exploiting women that I have not found in any other convention in relation to trafficking which
are the abuse of the fetuses for trafficking, forcing women to marriage, to pregnancy and renting
their wombs.
Another gender-sensitive aspect is shown in the penalties that are subject to augmentation in
case the victim is pregnant or if the offender is the woman’s husband or relative. It adds a gender
touch even though only one female expert participated in the drafting of this law. Salma Abida,
the judge who was the only female in the committee which drafted this law, tells about her
important addition to the bill, which makes it more sensitive to women rights and to female
victims of trafficking. For her, this bill was inspired from the international instruments and the
Palermo protocol which specifies women as most vulnerable. She added the renting or female
womb and forcing women to get pregnant and the forced marriage as parts of slavery-like
practices. She states: “If it wasn’t for me being there, as the only woman, I would not be sure if
these terms would have been added to the bill.”58

58
Abida, Salma. Judge at the Ministry of Justice. Interviewed by Racha Haffar.15 April 2015. See Appendix X.
 Haffar 35

CHAPTER II
The Developments of the
Legal Framework
 Haffar 36

I. Trafficking in Women and the International Legal Framework

This section will explore the evolution of international laws in relation to trafficking in
persons prior to the adoption of the Palermo Protocol. Internationally, It has long been
acknowledged that trafficking in persons is not merely a domestic issue, but rather, is a cross-
border, transnational phenomenon. Hence, international laws play a fundamental role in shaping
the conceptualizations of trafficking in persons. 59
This phenomenon has a long history of development from early stages of slavery to today’s
modern forms of trafficking in persons and modern-day slavery. The international community
went through a long way of developing texts and agreements to fight classical slave trade into
reaching slavery-like practices, which jeopardized the dignity of people throughout history. These
practices have been denounced in numerous legislative international instruments. Even though
slavery and slave trade were abolished centuries ago, trafficking in its new forms is still thriving
today against all international power and nothing seems to be able to restraint it, as little seems to
be effective in the fight against it. The understanding of “all could be victims” of trafficking and
the different forms of trafficking have changed over the past century. The issue of the lack of
knowledge of the public about the phenomenon is a big obstacle, as well, which is leading
60
thousands to the webs of this global crime. In fact, the phenomenon has not been recognized
until recently and wasn’t legally regulated at the global level as it was only until the early 1900s
that the word “trafficking” first appeared.
Actually, the Convention against Trafficking in White slaves or "International Agreement to
ensure the Effective Protection against Criminal Trafficking known as the White Slave Trade"
made the first appearance of the word trafficking in 1904. 61Treaties in this matter have started in

59
International law is necessary to tackle issues, such as human trafficking, which cannot be adequately addressed at
the national level. Regional and domestic efforts to address this issue are fundamentally inadequate in isolation by
the fact that such decisions bind only a limited number of policies and states.
60
Supra note 13
61
Supra note 7, 3.
 Haffar 37

1904 and culminated by the UN Trafficking Protocol of 2000. In order to understand

comprehensively the current status of the legal framework on trafficking, it is necessary to take a
closer look at the history of international instruments which led to the development of today’s
framework. “It is through an understanding of why and how the current anti-trafficking agenda
came into being that we can then move towards a more informed and aware critique of current
practices.”62
When the League of Nations officials started to become more concerned after noticing the
fast growth of this phenomenon, which affected women badly by then, several international
conventions in relation to this matter were adopted starting from 1904, 1910, 1921 and 1933.63
By clarifying the various developments which have contributed to the current conceptualization
of today’s anti-trafficking laws, we can understand the efficiencies, yet weaknesses which are
present in them today.
When it comes to the concept of gender, international laws have to a great extent adopted
such perception of trafficking in persons, through which women are perceived as the ‘victims’ of
trafficking for the purpose of different forms of exploitation, mainly of prostitution.
The following part will demonstrate the three main areas of international laws which have
governed the contemporary framework through their developments. These areas are: slavery,
prostitution, and labor.64

1. The Development of International Legislations

A. Anti-Slavery Conventions

As we have noticed, international instruments dealing with trafficking in persons date back to
the abolition of slavery. By means of, the recognition of slavery and slavery-like practices as a

62
Marie,Segrave, Sanja Milivojevic and Pickering Pickering, Sex Trafficking: International Context and Response.
Portland: Willan, 2009. 3
63
International Convention for the Suppression of the White Slave Trade, 1910. International Convention for the
Suppression of Trafficking in Women and Children, 1921. International Convention for the Suppression of the
Trafficking in Women, 1933.
64
Schloenhardt, Andreas et Corin Morcom , «All About Sex?!The Evolution of Trafficking in Persons in
International Law.» March 2011, http://www.law.uq.edu.au, 4 January 2015
http://www.law.uq.edu.au/documents/humantraffic/international-law/Evolution-of-Int-Law-relating-to-Trafficking-
in-Persons.pdf
 Haffar 38

form of exploitation for the purpose of trafficking in persons started to emerge with the
development of international anti-slavery instruments. In fact, the early “white slave traffic”
conventions created the basics of today’s contemporary anti-trafficking framework.
The beginning of the 19th century witnessed the rise of moral condemnations surrounding slavery
and slave trade and the prohibition of these practices featured more than 75 conventions. 65They
facilitated the development of international anti-slavery legal instruments and created the
fundamental basis for the development of international anti-trafficking framework. Thus, related
definitions of exploitation to trafficking, which were contained within the international anti-
slavery laws have been transferred into the framework of trafficking in persons, to a big extent.
The focus of early anti-slavery conventions was essentially on the ban of the slave trade from
Africa. Actually, it was the treaty of Paris of 1814,66 which put forward the need to abolish the
slave trade. At that time, the 1815 Declaration Relative to the Universal Abolition of the Slave
Trade was the first of its kind to state that the slave trade was a violation of human rights. It is
worth mentioning that both international anti-slavery and anti- trafficking frameworks adopt a
criminalization approach to achieve the abolition of such practices.
A century later, the 1919 Convention revising the General Act of Berlin and the General Act
of Brussels internationally put forward an obligation towards all involved parties to put their
ultimate efforts in securing “the complete suppression of slavery in all its forms and of the slave
trade by land and sea.” Following the establishment of the League of Nations 1919,67 the
women’s movement shifted its attention to the international rather than the national issues. In the
year 1921, and during the international conference in Geneva, hosted by the League of Nations,
the term “traffic in women” was proposed to replace the “white slave traffic”. In the 1927 Report
of the League of Nations, international traffic was defined as: “the direct or indirect procurement
and transportation for gain to a foreign country of women and girls for the sexual gratification of
one or more other persons.” 68
The fight against slavery developed leading to the 1926 League of Nations International
Slavery Convention, which was the first international instrument to define slavery and slave

65
J. H.Verzijl, Jan Hendrik Willem. International Law in Historical Perspective. The Hague: (Martinus Nijhoff
Publishers, 1998) 238-260
66
Ibid
67
League of Nations, Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 April 1919. 23 July 2015
http://www.refworld.org/docid/3dd8b9854.html
68
Surpa note 18
 Haffar 39

trade.69 With the birth of the United Nations in 1945, this Agreement was succeeded by the
Convention on the Abolition of Slavery in 1953. It was only in 1956 through the United Nations
Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and
Practices Similar to Slavery70 that states found themselves obliged to adopt all measures to
abolish practices similar to slavery, precisely debt bondage71 in addition to Serfdom,72 servile
marriage,73 and the exploitation of children.74 The preamble of that convention states that
"freedom is a right that every human being acquires at birth." In fact, this convention provides a
definition of practices considered "practices similar to slavery,” for the first time. "Member states
shall take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to suppress all forms of trafficking in
women and exploitation of prostitution of women.”

B. Anti-Prostitution Conventions

In addition to the anti-slavery conventions, the international anti-prostitution conventions

contributed in a significant manner to the current conceptualizations of trafficking in persons, as
these instruments succeeded in developing an international framework to combat trafficking in
persons. However, the main purpose was to fight commercial sexual exploitation in which

70
United Nations« Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and
Practices Similar to Slavery». 30 April 1956. 23 July 2015.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/SupplementaryConventionAbolitionOfSlavery.aspx
71
Article 1 Supplementary Slavery Convention defines ‘debt bondage’ as the status or condition arising from a
pledge by a debtor of his personal services or of those of a person under his control as security for a debt, if the value
of those services as reasonably assessed is not applied towards the liquidation of the debt of the length and nature of
those services are not respectively limited and defined.
72
(Article 1 Supplementary Slavery Convention defines ‘serfdom’ as the condition or status of a tenant who is by
law, custom or agreement bound to live and labour on land belonging to another person and to render some
determinate service to such other person, whether for reward or not, and is not free to change his status Article 1 of
the Supplementary Slavery Convention.)
73
Under Article 1 Supplementary Slavery Convention ‘servile marriage’ is any institution or practice whereby: i) a
woman, without the right to refuse, is promised or given in marriage on payment of a consideration in money or in
kind to her parents, guardian, family or any other person or group; or ii) the husband of a woman, his family or his
clan, has the right to transfer her to another person for value received or otherwise; or iii) a woman on the death of
her husband is liable to be inherited by another person
74
The exploitation of children in this context is any instrument or practice whereby a child or young person under the
age of 18 years, is delivered by either or both of his natural parents or by his guardian to another person, whether for
reward or not, with a view to the exploitation of the child or young person or of his labour: Article 1 of the
Supplementary Slavery Convention.) Therefore, the fight against trafficking in persons was strengthened and
developed with the recognition of slavery and servitude as potential exploitative purposes of trafficking. The fact that
the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights mentions slavery in its 4 TH Article, proves that slavery still existed
at that time.
 Haffar 40

women came to be recognized as the main victims in this industry.

The ‘white slave traffic’ of the early 20 th century was labelled after acts of abduction of
Caucasian females who were found forced into prostitution after crossing national borders.
Consequently, trafficking became linked to prostitution. And this focus on prostitution remained
the main motive for international efforts to criminalize trafficking. These conventions related
only to trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and focused on fighting this
practice only as a means to abolish prostitution. The best proof on that is the 1949 Convention for
the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, 75
which declares prostitution ‘incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person’.76
Equally, this convention shows how the international community was concerned with trafficking
in persons for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.
In fact, the range of the 1910 International Convention for the Suppression of the White Slave
Traffic77 remained unchanged, keeping the link between trafficking and commercial sexual
exploitation of Caucasian females.78 The 1921 convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in
Women and Children79 further validates the definition contained in the 1910 Convention; in that
way, keeping an emphasis on prostitution as the exploitative purpose of trafficking.80
The 1933 International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women of the Full
Age81 defines trafficking as “the transfer of women across nation-state borders for immoral
purposes, regardless of their consent or coercion.”82 So, here, this convention puts forward a new
notion of victims which is broadened to show that even with the consent, victims remain victims

75
United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, «Convention for the Suppression of the
Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.» 2 December 1949, http://www.ohchr.org/, 5
January 2015 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/TrafficInPersons.aspx
76
See Preamble of the 1949 Convention.
77
League of Nations. «International Convention for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic, signed at Paris on 4
May 1910, amended by the Protocol signed at Lake Success, New York, 4 May 1949.» 4 May 1949. treaties.un.org.
10 January 2015 <https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/MTDSG/Volume%20I/Chapter%20VII/VII-9.en.pdf>.
78
Tom.Obokata, Trafficking Of Human Beings From A Human Rights Perspective: Towards A
Holistic.Approach( Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV, 2006), 14.
79
League of Nations, «International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children.» 30
September 1921, treaties.un.org.,20 April 2015
<https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/MTDSG/Volume%20I/Chapter%20VII/VII-3.en.pdf>.
80
Supra Note 78,15
81
League of Nations, «International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women of Full Age.» 11
October 1933, treaties.un.org, 24 January 2015
https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=VII-5&chapter=7&lang=en
82
Annuska. Derks, From White Slaves to Trafficking Survivors: Notes on the Trafficking Debate (Center for
Migration and Development, 2000) 4.
 Haffar 41

and shall be treated as such. Referring to Tunisia as a study case in this research, it is highly
important to see how the current laws fail to protect victims and their rights from this practice.
(The case of Tunisian law will be explained in details in the next section of this chapter.)
It is also clear how these definitional limitations looking first at white women within borders,
then across borders, then including all ages and still restricting it to the sex industry show how
the gendered conception of the trafficking ‘victim’ had developed.
Additionally, these conventions show the connection created between trafficking in women
and prostitution. It is worth mentioning that these four white slave traffic conventions gave
importance only to the recruitment and transportation process and didn’t look at the end purpose
of prostitution which remained a matter of national concern. For instance, the retaining of a
woman in a brothel, even against her will, was not within the range of the 1910 Convention, but
rather was considered as a matter of national jurisdiction. 83 While many states condemned the
exploitation of prostitution, the regulation of prostitution was considered to be a matter of
national choice.84 The abolitionist movement 85
greatly criticized this approach and marked it as
useless in addressing the phenomenon, as according to the opinion of the abolitionists, it is
regulating prostitution, what would actually stimulate and motivate the traffic in women.86 It was
only until the 1949 International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the
Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others that the abolitionist approach was adopted and the
League of Nations draft of 1937 convention which consolidated the four previous white slave
traffic agreements.87 However, there are some inconsistencies in approach between the title,
preamble and text of the convention, as explained:

The title refers to trafficking and the exploitation of the prostitution of others; the
preamble acknowledges that both prostitution and trafficking in persons for the purpose of
prostitution are incompatible with human dignity; and the text refers to commercial sexual

83
M. Clara. Maffei, Tratta, prostituzione forzata e diritto internazionale. Il caso delle «donne di conforto» (Giuffrè,
2002).
84
Scarpa Silvia, Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery (London, Oxford University Press, 2008) 54.
85
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery, whether formal or informal in Western Europe and the Americas. It
was a historical movement to end the African and Indian slave trade and set slaves free.
86
Radhika Coomaraswamy, Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender Perspective, Violence
Against Women, 29 February 2000, 16 December 2014
http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/0/e29d45a105cd8143802568be0051fcfb/$FILE/G0011334.pdf
87
International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of
Others, (hereinafter the 1949 Convention), adopted 2 December 1949, entered into force 25 July 1951.
 Haffar 42

exploitation as the exploitative purposes of trafficking in persons. 88

The 1949 Convention develops race, gender and age neutral terminology and removes the
transnational element of trafficking in persons. By that, it extends the definition of trafficking in
persons, while keeping in mind the focus on the sex industry. 89 It explicitly connects trafficking
in persons with the exploitation of prostitution. 90
This approach provides a narrow vision to what victims of trafficking really are. As, it
assumes that prostitution is the only generator of trafficking and that all prostitutes and women in
the sex industry are victims. It fails to protect those who are trafficked for purposes other than
sexual exploitation. After that, negotiations of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol came to surface
after realizing the inefficiency of the latter convention.91This was also a drive for the adoption of
92
the 1979 CEDAW which was also a very clear statement and attempt to cut ties with the
previous 1949 convention, and also the abolitionist approach, which was perceived as a failure to
protecting women rights in relation to trafficking.93 In fact, the CEDAW was not spared from
reinforcing traditional conceptualizations of the female victim of trafficking for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation and such labels carry on to being the predominant in
contemporary conceptualizations of trafficking in persons.
Consequently, these early anti-trafficking instruments jeopardized the positions of victims
related to sex industry as immoral which in a way justifies the neglect to their rights as persons
who have been through a lot of exploitation and human rights violations. This is applicable in the
case of Tunisia today, and the state punishes victims of trafficking- women who have been caught
in sexual acts while they were trafficked- and victimizes them by sentencing them to jail.
(More details on this will follow in the following sections.) However, analysis of international
conventions of prostitution, show a persistent criminalization approach which drew a growing
attention from policy makers and NGOs to work on protecting victims.

88
Demleitner, Nora V. «Forced Prostitution: Naming an International Offense.» 1994. https://index.justice.gov.il, 14
April 2015 http://index.justice.gov.il/Units/Trafficking/MainDocs/Forced%20Prostitution-
%20Naming%20an%20International%20Offense.pdf, 163-174.
89
Supra Note 84, p.52
90
Supra Note 78, p.17
91
Supra Note 84, p. 55
92
United Nations,«Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.» 18 December
1979, www.ohchr.org,25 October 2014 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CEDAW.aspx
93
Supra Note 84, p. 94
 Haffar 43

The gendered aspect of the traffic of women into the sex industry continues to dominate
contemporary conceptualizations of trafficking in persons and more international efforts are
being invested in that. 94

C. Anti- Economic Exploitation Conventions

To carry on the same track of the development of international laws in relation to trafficking
in persons, we must talk about the developments within the international labor laws prohibiting
specifically, forced labor, exploitation of child labor, and exploitation of migrant workers. This
has contributed to the contemporary trafficking in person’s framework, mainly by expanding the
scope of trafficking to include the exploitation of labor outside of the sex industry and classical
forms of slavery. Similarly, international laws have shifted attention to the rights of the child in
the light of exploitation for labor and that helped in extending the framework of trafficking in
persons today.
In addition, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has made it possible to shift the
world’s attention to the trafficking phenomenon only from the angle of sex trade and prostitution
when it passed certain conventions defending the rights of laborers and condemning their
exploitation. Mentioning some of these conventions, which came as early as building upon the
95
1926 slavery convention, was the 1930 Forced Labor Convention and the 1957 Abolition of
Forced Labor Convention.96 These measures have worked on preventing forced labor from
putting people into slavery-like conditions. From the ILO standpoint, trafficking is a “degrading
misuse of human resources resulting in undignified and unproductive work.”97 These agreements
oblige state parties to suppress and abolish forced or compulsory labor.
The 1999 Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination

94
Vidyamali,Samarasinghe et al., «Strategising Prevention: A Critical Review of Local Initiatives to Prevent Female
Sex Trafficking.» February 2007,jstore.org,14 April 2015
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25548176?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents 53.
95
The International Labour Organisation, «C29 Forced Labour Convention, 1930 .» 28 June 1930, tavaana.org, 17
November 2014 https://tavaana.org/sites/default/files/C29%20Forced%20Labour%20Convention,%201930.pdf
96
The International Labour Organisation, «Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105).» 25 June 1957,
www.ohchr.org, 25 November 2014 http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/abolition.pdf
97
International Labour Organisation, «Unbearable to Human Hearts: Child Trafficking and Action to Eliminate it.»
01 December 2002, www.ilo.org, 25 December 2014
<http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Informationresources/WCMS_IPEC_PUB_768/lang--en/index.htm>.Vii
 Haffar 44

98
of the Worst Forms of Child Labor shows the emphasis on prohibiting exploiting children as
the worst form of child labor. When it comes to migrant workers, the ILO instruments also
influence the international anti-trafficking framework. One of the most recent international
conventions on this matter is the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of
All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,99 which contributes to the fight against
trafficking in persons as many trafficked victims belong to this category of migrant workers.
However, it is important to notice that there is a clear lack of interest by states to the treatment of
migrant victims and their exploitation. It is apparent in the way they deal with many victims who
face illegal status and confiscated papers. In the example of Tunisia, the state is not doing any
extra effort in recognizing and helping them. There will be more information on this in the
following sections and chapter.

2. The Palermo Protocol

These were the conventions which laid the basis for today’s international conventions and
efforts into fighting trafficking. Along the history of international laws, global anti-trafficking
measures were better addressed in a more comprehensive way in today’s most reliable and recent
instrument among all, which has put forward what we define today as ‘trafficking in persons’.
The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its two related
protocols: the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children, and the United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of
Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air, which entered into force in 2003-2004. These conventions were
created by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which have been
supporting international laws in their fight against trafficking in persons. One of the most recent
instruments was the creation of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking
(UN.GIFT) in 2007 in order to support these conventions.100

98
The International Labor Organization, « CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROHIBITION AND
IMMEDIATE ACTION FOR THE ELIMINATION .» June 1999. http://www.ilo.org/, 17 April 2015
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc87/com-chic.htm
99
United Nations Convention on Migrant Rights, «International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All
Migrant Workers and Members of Their Familie.» 1 July 2003, http://unesdoc.unesco.org, 2 April 2015
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001435/143557e.pdf
100
Lindsey King,«Topical Research Digest: Human Rights and Human Trafficking.» 10 September 2014,
http://endslavery.salvos.org.au, 16 January 2015 <http://endslavery.salvos.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/10.-
 Haffar 45

The definition of trafficking in persons in its current form first appears in 2000. As a
consequence to the discussions in Palermo, Italy, later that led to the Palermo Protocol which
came into force December 12, 2002. One Hundred seventeen signatory states agreed to fight all
forms of trafficking in persons including (slavery, slavery-like practices, sexual exploitation,
forced labor and removal of organs). The Palermo protocol entered into force December 25,
2003.101
When it comes to what this protocol has put forward, it is important to notice the new aspects
in relation to definitions of victims. The protocol provides broader definition of trafficking in
persons. It balances law enforcement and victims’ rights. It is worth mentioning that two
comprehensive documents that relate to different international law instruments have shed the
light on how trafficking victims should be treated.102 “These two documents were produced to
ensure that trafficked persons were treated as victims rather than as criminals.” It is important
that victims’ rights are protected specially women and children.103However, it remains always
problematic to translate these conventions and agreements into reality as very few criminals are
condemned and more victims are not even identified, let alone, be protected or rescued. 104
There are some uncertainties about how functional and feasible this protocol could be. It is
evident that preventative mechanisms, investigative procedures, prosecutorial systems, and
victim rehabilitation must be tailored to specific aspects of trafficking in persons including the
different types of exploitation, law related issues, and victims. As victims of sexual exploitation
differ from labor ones, and the latter differs from the ones of slavery-like practices like forced
marriage. 105‘Trafficking in persons is a complex, multi-faceted problem that intertwines issues of
law enforcement, border control, gender, crime, security and human rights’. 106The fourth World
Conference on women in 1995 calls for “effective suppression of trafficking in women and girls

InternationalLaw.pdf>.
101
Supra note 94, 53
102
Human Rights Standards for the Treatment of Trafficking Persons and the Recommended Principles and
Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking.
103
Supra note 100
104
Houidi, Sami Ben. Assistant Director-General of the Department of judicial interests in the Ministry of Justice
interviewed by Racha Haffar. 20 April 2015. See Appendix X
105
Supra Note 58
106
Alexandra Amiel, « Integrating a Human Rights Perspective into The European Approach to Combating the
Trafficking of Women for Sexual Exploitation.» 2006, https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com, 20 June 2015
https://litigation-
essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite&docid=12+Buff.+Hum.+
Rts.+L.+Rev.+5&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=56a5f4f178cd3075a73abcda44dae08f ,5.
 Haffar 46

for the sex trade”. So, it is important to point out the fact that with this protocol, the international
community maintained a focus on trafficking in women.107

3. Tunisia’s Compliance with International Laws

Although trafficking is a complex issue, these previously mentioned international legal

instruments have been implemented to aid trafficking victims and to combat this worldwide
phenomenon. The Palermo Protocol offers more influence than all these preceding hopeful
agreements as it proves to be a law enforcement instrument. It requires states to take serious
actions into penalizing traffickers, protecting victims and granting them residence whether
temporary or permanent in the countries of destination. So, signatory parties are obliged to create
their own national legislation which supports these provisions at the domestic level. Even those
states which are not party to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its
two related protocols find themselves obliged to protect the rights of trafficked persons under
provisions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The issue of compliance with anti-trafficking laws is problematic, but states can actually
work on overcoming this. In fact, states get funds to support their national strategies in their
combats but they shouldn’t rely on the UN solely as they have to expand their national
legislations. It is highly important for everyone to recognize that trafficking is like an epidemic
and no one could be spared of it. Therefore, states should realize that their roles in this fight are
significant to the overall global fight. Just as the world objected to slavery collectively, it also
requires collective opposition to abolish trafficking in persons. NGOs throughout the world
undertake a big responsibility into monitoring human rights violations with respect to trafficking
in persons. As they collect data and analysis and send it to the UN, which in turn is able to fully
assess the violations then deals with the issue in relation to international laws. Further details on
this will be provided in Chapter III. However, it is not only the role of NGOs to write reports, as
states also are expected to submit regular ones regarding their level of compliance with the
convention. The UN overseas these levels of national compliances demonstrated by states and
they monitor abuses to certain treaties at the same time. Regional and domestic legislations are

107
Supra Note 26
 Haffar 47

the backbone to the enforcement of international laws, as the latter could not function in isolation
from them. States with their domestic instruments aim at combatting this phenomenon through
provisions that go in accordance with the international agreements, which are effective to tailor
their enforcement and monitor methods to their own needs.
Many obstacles face states in applying these international and national legislations because of
the complexity of applying them. Therefore, the crime not only transcends borders but also
jurisdictions. Applying international law to someone who is in a different state takes a lot of
resources, money and energy, and many countries with limited resources find it hard to do so.
Another problem facing states is when it comes to enforcing anti-trafficking laws there is a
lack of training for officials who are supposed to be dealing with this crime. Even if the law is
implemented there is a gap in the performance of local officers like border patrol officers, federal
agents and police officers. This, consequently, affects victims who are mal-treated and find
themselves at the position of a criminal of illegal immigrant, either arrested or deported. Victims
find themselves short of language of the country where they were caught and that creates
problems at a bigger scale. In the case of Tunisia, those who were abroad, upon their return find
themselves in a position of a defendant trying to prove they are innocent. In fact, Tunisian
women who have been trafficked into Lebanon and the gulf countries where faced by charges of
prostitution upon their return to Tunisia. When it comes to foreign women trafficked into Tunisia,
these victims find themselves also powerless as they can be faced with the fact that they are
illegal immigrants upon their illegal stay in the country. (This will be further discussed in the next
sections).108

II. Trafficking in Women and the National Legal Framework

This section will discuss the development of the national legal framework in trafficking in
persons. I will talk about the current legislation in use today, which is applied to cases of
trafficking and what the new anti-trafficking bill of law has to offer. The central argument will

108
Lindsey King,«Topical Research Digest: Human Rights and Human Trafficking.» 10 September 2014,
http://endslavery.salvos.org.au, 16 January 2015 <http://endslavery.salvos.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/10.-
InternationalLaw.pdf>.
 Haffar 48

focus on the issue of re-victimization and women rights in relation to trafficked women.109

1. The Legal Development of National Laws

A. Pre-Revolution

Tunisia as any other signatory party was bound to sign and ratify the previously mentioned
international instruments under international pressure to meet a certain level of compliance. The
pressure from the UN, EU and US State Department started even before the revolution of 2011.
The country found itself going behind others in the region as it hasn’t passed its own national law
on trafficking hitting by that a lower status on the scale of Tier placements which is Tier Two
Watch List. 110
There is a national bill of law against trafficking which was passed through the ministerial
council and now it is waiting to be debated in the parliament. Experts are afraid this might take
long resulting into pushing Tunisia’s placement in the Tier list into the last ranking which is the
Tier 3; the worst in fighting trafficking in persons. 111 Prior to the revolution, there was a series of
texts condemning slavery and crimes related to trafficking which Tunisia has signed. Some of
these instruments date back to 1846, as mentioned in Chapter I. They were signed to fight
slavery, trafficking and slavery-like practices. According to the ministry of justice, Tunisia
prohibited slavery since issuing the Public Order of Prohibiting Slavery January 23, 1846 and
issued the first legal text prohibiting slavery and enslavement according to the decree of May 29,
1890. In the past century, Tunisia had ratified a series of texts related to trafficking, such as the
Slavery Convention of 1926 and the Protocol amending the Convention and the Supplementary
Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, of the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar
to Slavery of 1956. 112

109
The information mentioned in this part is mainly based on 9 interviews with experts from different ministries
(Interior, Social Affairs, Women Affairs, Justice,) and experts from civil society available at Appendix X. In addition,
I will use an official document from the ministry of Justice about the country’s efforts in fighting this crime available
at Appendix II.
110
Tier 2 Watch List: States which do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making
significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
111
Tier 3: States which do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do
so.
112
The international agreements which were signed prior to the revolution include most importantly:
 Haffar 49

According to the Ministry of Justice,113 there is no legal text in the current Tunisian legal
framework about trafficking, supposed to define trafficking in persons according to international
standards, criminalizes it and describes it as an independent crime, which has its own specific
legal body and, which differentiates it from other similar crimes such as illegal immigration or
other linked crimes.
When it comes to how the country and the judicial system dealt with victims prior to the
revolution, it is important to highlight the fact that the re-victimization of victims of trafficking
who were spotted in sexual acts related to prostitution was and is still the case until today. The
laws Tunisia is using now don’t protect victims, and rather, they put them under judgment, once
again. They could be put in prison for getting involved in acts of prostitution while the convict
who abused the victim is set free, or charged with much less than what he/she deserves. This, in
fact, is one of the reasons why the victims or the government never mentioned this topic before
the revolution. Because the truth surrounding this topic involves government officials and people
with power who could use nepotism into setting free some convicts who were pled guilty in
sexual abuse.114
Tunisian penal code includes prohibition of different forms of exploitation and prevents all
forms of assault against humans in general. It consists of different crimes which have direct
connection with trafficking in persons, and it has guaranteed combating this phenomenon until
now, to some extent.115 Most importantly, in this matter, Tunisia was committed to ratify the
Palermo Protocol on fighting trafficking in persons in 2003; however, and after more than a
decade, still there are no internal laws to go with what Tunisia signed in accordance. There is just
the previously mentioned bill of law on trafficking in persons.116 On a different note, it is worth
mentioning that there is a radical development at the level of the anti-trafficking national bill and
procedures dealing with female victims of trafficking.

B. Post-Revolution

- The United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (16 December 1966)
- The UN Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (10 December 1984)
- Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that "No one shall be subjected to torture or
to of cruel, inhuman or degrading ". Article 8 provides that "no one shall be held slavery, slavery and the slave trade in
all their forms shall be prohibited.’
113
The Ministry of Justice is the main governmental body dealing with the fight against trafficking in Tunisia.
114
Supra Note 34
115
Official Governemental Document: The Response of the Ministry of Justice about the Country‘s Efforts in Fighting Trafficking
in Persons in Tunisia, appendix I.
116
Yacoubi, Amal. Project Officer at the EuroMed. Interviewed by Racha Haffar, 19 January 2015. See Appendix X.
 Haffar 50

In the post-revolution era, the international pressure which existed before grew as the country
is going through transitional changes and it opened its doors to all different commitments to
117
human rights in order to satisfy the international community. In a sense, the growing structure
of governmental and non-governmental bodies, which are paying a larger respect for human
rights, is clearer now. Nevertheless, we cannot find one single organization dedicated for the fight
against trafficking. Today, if one looks around, he/she may notice the big number of national and
international parties which don‘t consider trafficking in persons as a big problem threatening
Tunisia. Even Tunisians themselves demonstrated a lack of knowledge in this regard. Thus, it is
this lack of knowledge about the topic what led to the growth of the phenomenon in the country
as it can be interpreted as a form of negligence. The issues that have emerged after the revolution
and which I have mentioned in Chapter I are hindering the fight against trafficking. The national
anti-trafficking law would have been promulgated if these issues didn’t exist. 118As mentioned in
the previous section of this chapter, the international instruments signed by Tunisia are
thoroughly mentioned in the document of the Ministry of Justice.119

2. Current Legislation in Force

Even though there are no specific laws in the Tunisian legal system concerned with
trafficking in persons, there are many different applicable texts, which criminalize different forms
of trafficking in persons and which guarantee- to a certain extent -combatting this phenomenon,
even in a partial way. The Tunisian constitution states “All citizens, male and female, are equal in
rights and duties, and are equal before the law without discrimination. The State guarantees to
citizens, male and female, individual and collective rights and freedoms, and provides them with
the conditions for a dignified life.” 120
In addition to the constitution which guarantees rights and dignity for citizens, the Tunisian
Penal Code and the Labor Code both include laws dealing with such crimes. They provide a

117
Abdallah, Abdelhamid. Previous head of mission at the Ministry of Human Rights and Transnational Justice.
Interview by Racha Haffar. 2015 January 22. See Appendix X
118
Ibid
119
Appendix II, pages 1-3.
120
The Jasmine Foundation. "Constitution of the Republic of Tunisia ." 26 January 2014. http://www.jasmine-
foundation.org/. 2 April 2015 http://www.jasmine-
foundation.org/doc/unofficial_english_translation_of_tunisian_constitution_final_ed.pdf ChapterII, Article 21.
 Haffar 51

group of laws prohibiting sexual exploitation and economic exploitation of labors. Here, I will
only focus on the ones which are most important in dealing with trafficking- related practices,
and they are as follows (the rest are included in Appendix I pages 4-9.)

A. The Tunisian Penal Code

The Tunisian Penal Code criminalizes sexual exploitation in its different forms and helps
protect different rights related to women, namely:121
Begging and exploitation of vulnerability (Art.171), fraud of identity papers (Art.193), abuse
of children(Art. 210-224), abduction and kidnaping(Art. 237 and following), enforcement (Art.
283), deception(Art. 291), criminalization of rape (Art.227), criminalization of pimping(Art. 232)
Criminalizing harnessing someone without legal obligation (Art.105 penal code), criminalization
of sexual assaults and secret prostitution and using prostitution as a job to get a salary or
mediating in it or motivating others into doing it (Art.226 of penal code and what follows).
When it comes to using women wombs or abusing fetuses for commercial services, the law
number 93 of 2001 prohibits such practices.

B. The Tunisian Labor Code

The Labor Code prohibits the economic exploitation of workers and regulates certain related
aspects. In addition to the Tunisian national legislation which is centered on the principles of
respecting human entities, prohibiting all forms of slavery, enslavement, sexual abuse, physical
abuse; they also pay attention to forced labor and economic exploitation. In fact, Tunisia has
ratified a large number of conventions with the support of the ILO in protection of workers. The
content of these agreements was taken, essentially, by the Labor Code. Some of the provisions in
the Labor Code against labor exploitation are common to all workers, others are for vulnerable
workers; women and children and the rest are for foreign workers.
However, the protection given to workers by these rules remains very inadequate. As follows
are some of the laws:

121
Ministère de la Justice et des Droits de l'Homme Tunsienne. "Code Pénal Tunisie." 12 December 2010.
http://www.e-justice.tn. 12 April 2015 http://www.e-
justice.tn/fileadmin/fichiers_site_francais/codes_juridiques/Code_penal_12_07_2010_fr.pdf
 Haffar 52

Organizing salaries (Art.828 of the obligations and contract code), salaries for lifetime until
death of employee are invalid as this long life period of payment is considered as a convincing
form of enslavement, which Tunisian law is being aware of as a violation to the laws of
prohibiting slavery (Art. 833).
The Labor Code issued in 1966 paid attention to contractual relations in the professional
framework and put comprehensive rules to protect against forced labor and servitude into
creating balanced relations between employers and employees. Regulations include working
hours, payments, regulating women working at night, administrative and health control, etc. The
law that regulates domestic servitude conditions guarantees protective measures against their
abuse. Article 79 of 1965 sets the maximum working hours per week to 48 hours. Most
importantly, the Labor Code also protects women and children below 18 years against heavy
work such as underground work in mines and quarries, or works recoveries, processing and
storage. The Code prohibits Also night work of women and children. 122

3. Current Anti-Trafficking Bill of Law

Tunisia has been under a lot of pressure from the international community to form its own
national law, which has to comply with international standards and agreements in the fight
against trafficking. It is important to point out that since Tunisia signed and ratified the Palermo
Protocol in 2003, there has been slight work done in developing this national legal framework
until the actual planning started in 2010. So, prior to the 2011 revolution, the ministries in charge
started to think about this bill of law. The actual work began in August 2012 when the Ministry of
Justice’s Anti-Trafficking office, which was made up of three persons drafted the first Anti-
Trafficking legislation in November 2012. Now, the final draft of this national bill of law on
trafficking in persons is awaiting approval in the parliament. Experts hope that it will pass no
further than by the end of 2015, as for them it is a priority and should be also considered as such
by the parliament. 123
In an interview I conducted with Sami ben Houidi, about the other reasons than the

122
Souhayma,Ben Achour, "Le droit tunisien face à la traite de personnes et au trafic de migrants: Note d'analyse et de synthèse."
2011, http://cadmus.eui.eu/,14 March 2015
<http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/17800/CARIM_ASN_2011_47.pdf?sequence=1> 14.
123
Amari, Sadok. Interview of the Attorney General at the Ministry of Justice. Interviwed by Racha Haffar. 3 April 2015. See
Appendix X.
 Haffar 53

international pressure that pushed Tunisia to draft this national bill, the latter stated the following:
“I see that the punishment is not enough, currently the laws in use don’t classify crimes related to
trafficking as felonies and rather they are classified as offences which set the convict to a
maximum of five years imprisonment. With the new change, and by considering them as high
violations of human rights, we will punish the criminals according to what they deserve, and
there will be an elevation in the penal laws.”
According to Salma Abida,124 this new law will bring three main differences after applying it.
For her, the notion of the victim will become sacred; as for the current laws and notions applied
to victims, women who are lured, abused, got their passports confiscated, were obliged or not to
be part of the prostitution act, are participants in this act and they have to be penalized according
to the judicial body. Now, this will change as experts are devoting a great deal of effort and
attention to this matter in order to re-establish the notion of victims.
Consequently, legal experts want to make sure that the female victim will not be charged for
any action related to the trafficking incident. In addition, the consent of the victim will not be
taken accountable for, and it will not be considered when there is a presence of force, threat, or
any other form of exploitation of the female victim’s vulnerability.
To be more specific, this bill is following the provisions of the Palermo Protocol as it is adopting
the consent part of Article 3(b), which specifies that if one of the means set forth in Article 3(a) is
used, it is irrelevant whether the person expressed consent or not.125 This new bill of law has also
devoted a number of mechanisms for providing help and protection to victims (further
information will be provided in chapter III).
Trafficking in persons has grown from a national framework into a transnational one where
many other countries are now involved as countries of destination for Tunisian victims and vise-
versa. Tunisian women are exploited in the Middle East, and more specifically in Lebanon and
the Gulf countries. However, it is noted by experts who are criticizing the current laws in use that
these laws are insufficient for the defense of women rights. And they are hoping this new law will
bring about the inevitable change awaited. Experts are afraid this law might take two years or
even more and this delay might harm more victims in the process. 126

124
Abida, Salma. Interview of the Judge at the Ministry of Justice. Interviewed by Racha Haffar.15 April 2015. See Appendix X.
125
Article 3 (a) of the Palermo Protocol is the previously mentioned definition of trafficking in persons in Chapter I.
126
Jaouadi, Najet. The responsible for the department of social prevention of the judicial police under the Ministry of
Interior. Interviewed by Racha Haffar. 23 April 2015. See Appendix X .
 Haffar 54

When it comes to criminalizing traffickers, the bill is concerned with national and
transnational trafficking, whether the crime is done by a single actor or whether it is an organized
crime by a group of people. It also broadens the list of offenses to ensure a comprehensive reach
for criminal acts. In fact, the new provisions in this bill show the inefficiency of the current laws
as when it comes to prosecution, penalties are insufficient and are not severe enough or equal to
other crimes with more serious penalties, such as rape. For example, the penal code sets five
years imprisonment for forced prostitution of women and 10 years imprisonment for exploiting a
person for forced labor, while the penalties set for rape range from five years imprisonment to the
death penalty. So, some real changes have to be done on this level, soon.
In Tunisia, the efforts which have been taken to domesticate the UN Protocol into national
legislation are still considered limited until this draft law promulgates. For example, in Tunisia,
Article 231 of the Penal Code criminalizes women who get involved in prostitution even by
coincidence to imprisonment up to two years. And, what is more shocking and more relevant to
trafficking, Article 232 criminalizes procuring a woman for unlawful sexual intercourse and
intermediating in it to up to only three years in prison. We see the need for urgent change in these
laws as they have to be reinterpreted more deeply by the state to cover trafficking and the modern
forms of slavery. Thus, these scattered laws made Tunisia take so long to come up with the new
specific law and; therefore, paved the ground for this phenomenon to grow.

4. The Overall Efforts of Tunisia in Dealing with this Phenomenon

Tunisia has invested in a number of international, regional and national efforts to fight
trafficking in persons. At the international level, Tunisia was present in different international
workshops and platforms working on the fight against trafficking in persons, such as the
workshop in Vienna organized by the Euromed in April 23, 2013127. There is also collaboration at
the level of states between Tunisia and the US Department of State office with a focus on
monitoring and combating trafficking in persons.
At the regional level, Tunisia has participated in regional conferences such as the one on

127
EU Neighborhood Info Center, Trafficking in human beings: Euromed Migration III holds workshop in Vienna, 2
May 2013, 18 October 2014 http://www.enpi-info.eu/medportal/news/latest/32916/Trafficking-in-human-beings:-
Euromed-Migration-III-holds-workshop-in-Vienna.
 Haffar 55

Human Trafficking and the Protection of Illegal Immigrants in Khartoum October 13, 2014128.
The concerned authorities stated that due to international, regional and bilateral cooperation in
the fields of justice and security, today, there is more space for cooperation between Tunisia and
other international and regional actors.
At the national level, experts from the Ministry of Justice explained the role Tunisia played
with the only international organization working in Tunisia on the fight against trafficking. The
IOM has established the S.H.A.R.E project "Support and Hand-over of Assistance and Referral
mechanisms as well as Exchange of practices in anti-trafficking" in 2011 with close collaboration
with the Ministry of Justice. The S.H.A.R.E project initiated a baseline study, the first of its kind
in Tunisia to scan the phenomenon of trafficking in persons. Along with it there were many
trainings and awareness campaigns for the reason that- as Salma Abida argues “when we started
working on the S.H.A.R.E project, many people didn’t even know what the meaning of
trafficking is. This is what we started working on, an empty field that has nothing. And worse of
all is how we kept saying that we are not directly concerned with this phenomenon and we don’t
have it. All this proves the level of seriousness the problem has reached.”
The S.H.A.R.E project established mechanisms and exchange of practices to fight this
phenomenon and to get a better understanding of the situation. This project includes ministerial
representative from different ministries, civil society and international organizations.
There is also a collaboration with NGOs which deal with women rights for awareness and which
provide care for victims within the national work plan of protecting women from violence and
which the ministry of women affairs is in charge of.129
When it comes to governmental bodies specialized in the fight against trafficking, it is worth
mentioning that at the level of the government, there should be a committee working on this.130
However, since this bill hasn’t been issued yet, the committee cannot be formed. There are
different cells created in different ministries to combat trafficking except for the ministry of
interior which has made a specialized security body to fight it and to work with other bodies in

128
The International Organization of Migration, The Khartoum Process: EU-AU Cooperate to Combat Human Trafficking in the
Horn of Africa, 28 October 2014. 5 January 2015 http://weblog.iom.int/khartoum-process-eu-au-cooperate-combat-human-
trafficking-horn-africa
129
Supra Note 8, 16.
130
This national committee is supposed to undertake responsibilities of creating strategies in collaboration with other public and
private sectors. It is in charge of providing protection to victims of trafficking and creating preventive measures, integration
strategies, trainings for officials and awareness campaigns and others more.
 Haffar 56

collecting information, analyzing them and using them to trace traffickers and victims. Thus, a
provisional national committee was established within the Ministry of Justice to supervise the
national action plan, and it will take care of the work until the bill promulgates and consequently
the national committee exists.
Tunisia’s policies prior to the 2011 revolution contributed in deepening the misbalance
between authorities and citizens which helped crippling the efforts of eliminating the root causes
of this phenomenon. Yet, after the revolution, the development programs adopted by the
government have been working on limiting social and financial causes leading to trafficking.
Raising awareness is one of the most prominent actions on the government’s agenda for the
coming years.131 Many governmental bodies and non-governmental ones are working on raising
awareness by targeting the Tunisian youth to convince them of the dangers of being victims of
trafficking during illegal immigration and young females who intend to go and work abroad
through unregulated contracts of being victims of sexual exploitation. Nevertheless, this
development will happen at the level of experts not the citizens as the topic doesn’t reach all
citizens for it is not mentioned enough in the media.132 More support and work is needed to
achieve awareness through campaigns, educational programs, conferences, seminars, printings
and brochures to introduce and define this phenomenon and the main axes of the new bill of law.
There is also a big attention given by Ministries of Justice, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Social
Affairs, Health, Finance, and Women’s Affairs, as well as members of civil society to organize
conferences, workshops and trainings; both to include the civil society and to introduce the new
knowledge on this topic to the government officials as a part of capacity building strategy. The
trainings were for police and border security officials and military officials who are responsible
for the security at the refugees’ camps and borders. In collaboration between the Ministries of
Social Affairs and Women’s Affairs and the government, different shelters were set up for
vulnerable groups such as single mothers, youth at risk, and sick elderly; however, no specialized
centers for trafficking victims were established. When it comes to recruitments, the government
continues to investigate the operating recruitment agencies in Tunisia by requiring them to sign
contracts by the Ministry of Employment before recruiting Tunisian workers for employments
abroad. Further details on the government’s efforts in protecting victims will be provided in
chapter III).
131
Appendix III: Government’s agenda in relation to trafficking in persons.
132
Supra Note 126
 Haffar 57

CHAPTER III
The developments of Categories of
Transnational Female Victims in
Tunisia
 Haffar 58

I. Categories of Transnational Female Victims in Tunisia

In this chapter, I will explore the different categories of transnational (cross-border) female
victims of trafficking in Tunisia. Then will discuss the categories of trafficked women in Tunisia
prior to the revolution, and show how the revolution has added new categories of victims in
Tunisia. Since this research has an international relations perspective, I will focus especially on
the trafficking of foreign women in Tunisia and trafficking of Tunisian women abroad.
Consequently, I will be dealing with internal trafficking in the country briefly. Meaning, my focus
is only on transnational trafficking. I will use data and testimonies to support my argument. I will
also examine the role of different actors in providing protection and help for these victims.

1. Who could be a Victim in Tunisia?

Briefly, I would like to start by exploring the trafficking of minor girls in Tunisia for both
sexual exploitation and servitude. Most of these young females are from the North West part of
the country; from cities such as Seliena, Ain Drahem and Tbarka. They get sent out by their
families to work for rich families who live in the capital or other coastal cities. They could be as
young as 10 years-old and they face all forms of exploitation and enslavement. Here, the purpose
is primarily for servitude. There are intermediaries called “Samsara” who find the girl a suitable
house and then they take her salary- either to split it with her family or even just for themselves-
leaving her with nothing. And at the same time, these girls get sexually abused and exploited
making of them even more vulnerable victims.133
In fact, during 2013, there have been 5655 notices of children in potential similar situation of
exploitation, where females represented 49.4 percent making 2857 notices.134 Also, these minors
and underage exploited females could easily get involved in illegal prostitution, convicted by law
133
Wakil, Lubna Al. «Presentation on child protection delegate in Bizerte, Reality of Trafficking in Children and
Minors through the work of Delegates Minors through the work of Delegates of Child Protection.» s.d.
134
Departement, U.S State. «U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report.» June 2013. www.state.gov. 4
February 2015 <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf>.
 Haffar 59

and persecuted instead of being treated as victims. In this same context of prostitution, foreign
women could be victims of international trafficking networks. Some of them are held in detention
centers and prisons for illegal prostitution. In fact, in 2012, 129 foreign women were put in such
centers, but none was identified as a victim of trafficking by the Ministry of Interior.
In addition, females who are victims of sexual violence whether it is committed by a stranger
or a family member, they become more vulnerable to exploitation. Some women rescued turn to
prostitution because they start perceiving themselves as slaves or sex objects. Female students are
facing high risks of Orfi135 marriages and for being abandoned after being deceived into these
marriages. Once they get pregnant, they find themselves abandoned in the streets with their
newly born babies. Same applies to single mothers, as they find themselves stigmatized in a
judgmental society what makes them find themselves forced into illegal prostitution after having
limited access to housing and employment.136 They become homeless and might find resort in the
arms of their traffickers. One of these single mothers, while she was pregnant, found no solution
but to turn to prostitution to pay for accommodation. After a study conducted by the Ministry of
Social Affairs on single mothers in 2007, it was found that the average age of these females was
26 years. Women coming from rural areas face great marginalization and they are vulnerable for
the lack of social and economic developments in their regions. They face wage discrimination as
they get up to two times less than men doing the same work and they are so poor.137
Consequently, traffickers find in them a great prey.
When it comes to immigration, smuggled women and those who were found in illegal status
of immigration should not be treated as criminals who should be deported out of the country. In
other words, a woman who travels and migrates for a better job or who has a status of a refugee
and found herself trafficked should not be punished and treated as an illegal alien. Tightened
legislations on borders pave the way for traffickers to abuse more women and put women under a
lot of harassment. These women find themselves in the hands of international traffickers and
unwelcomed by any destination country.138 In fact, from my interview with experts at the IOM, I
realized that many migrant women who come here to work find themselves in an illegal situation

135
Orfi: Customary marriages are illegal but allow the couple to consummate their relationship without a formal
marriage.
136Supra Note 8, 69
137
Ibid 8
138
Coalition against Trafficking in Women. «Guide to the New UN trafficking protocol.» 2001. http://www.no-
trafficking.org. 18 May 15 <http://www.no-
trafficking.org/content/pdf/guide_to_the_new_un_trafficking_protocol.pdf>, 11
 Haffar 60

after being trafficked and they fear telling the authorities about what happened to them not to be
put in prison for their illegal status, so they just bear longer with their trafficked situation. To be
more precise, and other than the African victims I will mention in the next parts, many refugees
who fled the Syrian war found themselves staying illegally in Tunisia.139 Some of these Syrian
refugees got married to Tunisian men who failed to get them a residency, and since they have no
family and support, they get abused by their husbands. Some of them end up begging in the
streets with a confiscated passport if they get caught by the police, leaving them with no option
but to be vulnerable to any kind of trafficker. The same applies to African women who are
brought to Tunisia through intermediaries who faked contracts of decent jobs for them. They stay
for a bit then after finishing the legal period of three months residency;140 they find themselves in
the streets without residence, rights, or illegal status, so they join prostitution networks for
survival. In 2013, four African women were assisted by Beity141 alongside other women from
different nationalities facing similar situations as the following table demonstrates:

Year Nationalities Total Number

2013 Algerians, Libyan, Africans, 8
Palestinian
2014 Cameroon, Russian, 10
Bulgarian, Ivorian, German,
2015 Brazilian, Syrian, Africans 3

These figures show how little the number of needy women reach out to help as there must be
much more than this. It also demonstrates the different nationalities of females victims who live
through such situations. This could also show the urge for establishing more specialized centers
to provide proper help for all specific different types of victims.

139
According to UNHCR, the number of Syrian refugees reached 6338 in North Africa (1 February 2013).
140
Article 9 states that "All foreigners staying in Tunisia more than three uninterrupted months or six non-
consecutive months in a year, must obtain a visa and a temporary residence permit which will be issued in
accordance with this Act."
141
Mawahem, Hedia. Beity, Association for Women without Homes. Interviewed by Racha Haffar. 23 January 2015.
See Appendix X.
 Haffar 61

2. The Pre-Revolution Context of Transnational Trafficking in Women

A. Foreign Women and Sexual Exploitation

When looking at the categories of trafficked female victims in Tunisia prior to the 2011
revolution, we notice that when it comes to the trafficking of foreign women into sexual
exploitation in Tunisia, back in the 1990s, they represented about 80 percent of the prostitutes in
Tunisian Cabarets.142 These trafficked foreigners were mainly Europeans and Egyptians. The
latter, have been trafficked through international pimping networks, according to a press article
by Attariq newspaper.143 They are fooled into prostitution by false promises of working as
dancers in nightclubs. However, today, it is totally the opposite, the locals represent the majority.
In 2007, three Ukrainian women were identified as victims of sexual exploitation and even forced
labor in Tunisian hotels.144 In addition, some Dominican women were sold in Tunisian luxurious
hotel for prostitution.

B. Foreign Women and Domestic Servitude

Through this research, I came to realize that it is not only today that African women are
trafficked in Tunisian into domestic servitude. In fact, this phenomenon dates back earlier than
we think. In 2008, a documented case of two young females from Ghana were working for a high
official taking care of his sick daughter; these two got their papers confiscated and they couldn’t
leave. They had to work all the time, and in 2010, they were still there in the service of this high
official who enjoyed a diplomatic protection.145 This immunity protects many officials who
exploit women and keep them under control, women are brought from West and East Africa to
work as servants in Tunisia and they get exploited and get trafficked for domestic servitude, as
reported by IGOs and NGOs to authorities. In fact, studies and information regarding this topic
remain limited and all concerned actors should conduct further research and investigation in this
filed, as it is hard for women to be trafficked and cross borders without the help of well-organized
142
Supra Note 8, 65
143
Ibid, 67
144
The United States Department of State,"Gender Imbalance in Human Trafficking," 15 June 2009, state.gov, 2
April 2015 <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/126792.pdf.
145
Supra Note 8, 67
 Haffar 62

national networks.

C. Tunisian Women and Sexual Exploitation Abroad

In 2007, a 22-year-old Tunisian woman who was a victim of trafficking for sexual
exploitation in Turkey was assisted by an international organization.146 Her story began when her
friend persuaded her to go work as a baby sitter for a Turkish family. Once there, she found
herself forced into prostitution. However, according to the ministry of interior, most cases of
prostitution in Turkey are voluntary and not coerced. It is confirmed that trafficking in women
into prostitution happens through a legal procedure; a valid passport and visa when they were
first offered jobs abroad. Between 2009 and 2010, many daughters were taken by their fathers to
the “prostitutes market” to be sold off to customers. The specific ages of these girls or their place
of origin are not documented, though.147 In 2009, two women were rescued from being trafficked
into forced prostitution in Jordan.148
In fact, all this proves the fact that Tunisia is indeed a country of origin of victims of
trafficking in the Middle Eat; namely Lebanon and the Gulf and also West Africa. Lebanon is a
channel for victims trafficked into West Africa.149 Recruitment could also happen in the internal
regions of Tunisia such as El Kef, where victims could be directly transported to destination
countries; i.e. Ivory cost for sexual exploitation. Many women get recruited by their friends,
acquaintances and/or through the internet and the social media, of course. However, in the next
part, I will talk more about the growth of categories and numbers of victims in the post-revolution
context, which is caused not only by the advance of technology but also by the wars and unstable
situations in the region.

3. Trafficking in Women and the Context of the Tunisian Revolution

146
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, United States of America Department of State. 2012. 13
February 2015 http://www.state.gov/j/tip/
147
Ibid
148
The United States Department of State,"Gender Imbalance in Human Trafficking," 15 June 2009, state.gov, 2
April 2015 <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/126792.pdf
149
Ivory Coast, Benin, Senegal. ( put transcritption of interviews if needed) chech appendix..
 Haffar 63

Tunisia has always been considered as a transit portal for immigrants and refugees from
Africa into Europe as it is situated at the tip of the African continent. Consequently, foreigners of
different nationalities get the status of trafficked victims in this context. The revolution was a
catalyst when it comes to internal and cross-border trafficking as with the Libyan and Syrian
wars, refugees at the borders of the Tunisian land who fled the wars into the camps were
exploited and the phenomenon grew.150 The borders areas with both Algeria and Libya make
great hubs for smuggling and trafficking. Migrant women victims of unrests in these neighboring
countries find themselves vulnerable in Tunisia.
In fact, according to Sadok Amari, the fact that the country is not fighting trafficking is
because of the financial and social instabilities the country is facing, which increased after the
revolution. The emptiness and security vacuum created after the revolution helped prepare the
atmosphere for more exploitation as when it comes to transnational victims; cross-border female
victims of different African nationalities are trafficked into domestic servitude and prostitution.
The rising terrorism today does not leave the space for trafficking to appeal to decision makers as
a priority. The most important thing experts insisted on is the fact that the laws have to change
and that authorities have to work on making the anti- trafficking bill as a priority to save more
victims and bring more villains to justice. It is also important to pin-point that one of the main
factors of trafficking is poverty.
The openness to the use of technology encouraged traffickers through the easy connectivity
and easy reach to deceive victims more. Social media today, which at some point played an
important role in the success of the revolution, is also playing an important role in the success of
trafficking operations. These aspects have thrived throughout the region in recent years and
changed the nature of demand and shifted it to a national supply.151
In 2012, an unprecedented increase in illegal prostitution was observed by the First Instance
Court of Tunis. This development in internal prostitution led consequently to the increase of
external prostitution. Now, there are two cases of clandestine prostitution at least per week, which
should be given more attention as these women could be trafficked abroad.
Between 2010 and 2012, which is the revolution period, the UNODC noticed that there are higher
proportions of trafficked victims into forced labor in North Africa and the Middle East than other

150
Supra Note 8, 18.
151
Interview Jaouadi, Najet. Responsible for the department of social prevention of the judicial police under the
Ministry of Interior. Interviewed by Racha Haffar. 23 April 2015. See Appendix X.
 Haffar 64

parts of the world.152

As a result of the change in the Tunisian context following the revolution, there is a change in
the categories of trafficking in women accordingly. It is important to note that Jihad al-Nikah
only existed after the revolution, which is considered as a new form of exploitation, connected to
a religious mainstream. It found a convenient ground to develop and to take new dimensions with
the presence of the security vacuum. The only proof of the existence of this form of trafficking is
the quote of an official who demanded his name remains anonymous in the Ministry of Interior
back in 2012, when he stated that the number of sexually exploited Tunisian women- who were
falsified into Jihad prostitution- doesn’t exceed fifteen. They were persuaded to offer social
services for Jihadists,153 such as providing them with medical care, preparing their meals and
washing their clothes. However, this phenomenon remains controversial as no proofs or statistics
are provided by authorities.154
In addition, there is a rise in Orfi marriages after the revolution. According to the Ministry of
the Interior, this type of marriage is not as frequent, but staff members working with single
mothers noticed an upturn after the revolution. It is also important to note that students reported
having been contacted to work in the Gulf countries; knowing it as a good cover for exploiting
them into prostitution.
New definitions and notions were added to the new previously mentioned anti-trafficking bill
of law to broaden the range of victims. First, when it comes to definitions (which are mentioned
in chapter I) the most important new addition to female victims are forcing women for the
purpose of marriage and coercing them to pregnancy or renting their wombs. As previously
mentioned, the notion of consent from the victim has been discharged and the victim will no
longer be charged for any of the actions she was involved in whether by her consent or not.
Let’s take the example of the most controversial case of cross-border trafficking in Tunisian
women. March 13, 2013 witnessed a big controversy in the Tunisian legal system and a lot of

152
United Nation‘s Office on Trafficking and Drugs,"Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2012." 2012,
https://www.unodc.org. 15 February 2015 https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-
analysis/glotip/Trafficking_in_Persons_2012_web.pdf
153
Jihadists: Muslim warriors who take on duties to maintain religion.
154
Own translation from France 24. “‫ ”تونسيات مارسن "جهاد النكاح" في سوريا يعدن إلى بالدهن حوامل‬19 September 2013.
france24.FR. 15 April 2015 http://www.france24.com/ar/20130919-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3-
%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%AD-
%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-
%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-
%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9 .
 Haffar 65

criticism arose about the case of the 85 Tunisian women who were caught in a crime of
trafficking by a Lebanese trafficking network. However, three of the 85 were charged for
prostitution. The addition of the slavery-like practices like debt bondage to the new bill of law
will save such victims from being pled guilty. In this part, I will only explore the change in notion
and the details about the victims and their trials will follow, where I have dedicated a whole part
to disclose different aspects about cross-border victims of trafficking in post-revolution Tunisia.
There is also a change at the level of defining the convict who exploited the victim into
prostitution and it will include family members such as the husband if he persuaded his wife and
155
changed her destination. The punishment will be of a minimum of 15 years.
With all this, we can notice the development of the notion throughout history. Back in 1846, it
was only limited to slavery and now it includes all aspects and notions related to different
characteristics that might relate directly or indirectly to the phenomenon.156 Furthermore, the
notion of age will be changed from article 231,157 which doesn’t specify the age of the victim into
making it clear that women above 18-years-old will be charged with prostitution. Logically,
minors will be always lured under threat or not, they shouldn’t be treated as criminals. 158
There is another bill of law “Against all Forms of Violence Against Women”, which includes
a chapter about trafficking in women; however, experts from the Ministry of Justice indicated that
there is repetition and it is redundant, so it might be dismissed as all aspects are covered in the
anti-trafficking bill. Consequently, I was advised not to use it for the sake of avoiding
confusion.159 Experts could not hide their resentment towards such laws failing to protect women,
as stated by Mohamed Messai. “We have been using the same laws since the Bey time, which is
1913, when it comes to protection of women from crimes; we have to protect them first from
such laws, which are failing them. We need to change the laws, and it’s a must.”160

4. Recent Transnational Cases of Trafficked Victims

155
Houidi, Sami Ben. Assistant Director-General of the Department of judicial interests in the Ministry of Justice
interviewed by Racha Haffar. 20 April 2015. See Appendix X
156
Ibid
157
Article 231 of Penal Code
158
Jaouadi, Najet. The responsible for the department of social prevention of the judicial police under the Ministry of
Interior. Interviewed by Racha Haffar. 23 April 2015. See Appendix X.
159
Abida, Salma. Judge at the Ministry of Justice. Interviewed by Racha Haffar.15 April 2015. See Appendix X.
160
Messai, Mohamed. Researchal Judge at the Center of Legal Studies. Interviewed by Racha Haffar 20 April 2015.
See Appendix X.
 Haffar 66

In this part, after disclosing the changes and developments brought in to the trafficking in
women context in post-revolution Tunisia, I would like to study the two main cases of
transnational actions of trafficking in women. First, the case of Tunisian women trafficked
abroad, mainly in Lebanon and the Gulf countries. Second, foreign women trafficked in Tunisia.
This part will explore these cases in their current status following the revolution, their
development and will be supported by first-hand statistics, court cases, and victims’ testimonies
obtained through my research.

A. The Case of Tunisian Women Trafficked Abroad

When it comes to Tunisian women who are exploited abroad, it is worth mentioning that after
the revolution, the number has risen. Previously, when I mentioned Lebanon, Jordan and the Gulf
countries, the numbers detected were really low; only ranging between one to two victims. Today,
we hear of cases including 85 victims. The famous case of those 85 Tunisian female victims
trafficked in Lebanon had created much debate. In September 2012, those victims were sentenced
for different penalties for prostitution and pimping. The story began when a Lebanese pimp
travelled to Tunisia to make a deal with Tunisian intermediaries who would take in charge the
recruitment of girls for him. Usually, it is easier when it happens through the internet and social
media, but also, the recruitment through hairdressers is very effective. These young women are
offered simple jobs yet with a rewarding salary as waitresses, dancers or singers. They are easily
recruited via e-mails with their photos in different positions. It only takes the girl to pay between
400-500 dollars for the intermediary to provide her the paperwork, the visa and the contract. Of
course, they are deceived as these contracts and papers are fake and are just a method to fool
them into believing the job is real. The pimp offers the girl through the intermediary an artist
visa, which is issued by the Lebanese Consulate and also passports issued by the Tunisian
authorities. The intermediary who is basically responsible for all the recruitment process receives
a commission of 500 dollars for each girl and he/she gets the money through Western Union.
Upon their arrival to their destinations, these girls were tested for any STDs.161 They found them
selves obliged to sign contracts as prostitutes at night clubs after their passports were confiscated
from them. They were also faced with reality of reimbursing the visa, housing and travel

161
STDs: Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
 Haffar 67

expenses to their trafficker. This situation of Debt Bondage162 obliges them to join the
prostitution network illegally, as they cannot afford to pay the money back or even afford their
return ticket back to Tunisia. They find themselves sometimes drugged and forced into
prostitution. As an encouragement to stick around, they get paid 100 dollars per client. One of the
worst things is keeping them tied with the Kafala163 system. And of course they are threatened by
force and blackmailing to stick to their new jobs. They work and sleep in the same building and
they are always escorted by a member of the network. Some victims get offers of marriage to be
encouraged, and actually one of them was married Orfi to one of the cabaret customers where she
worked. However, the recruitment process is worrying Tunisian authorities, especially when it is
done through social media, as it is harder to trace according to the Ministry of Interior. The
Ministry of Interior with close collaboration with the Interpol164 managed to detect this network.
It is obvious that these two bodies had difficulties in detecting the victims as these actions are
carried out within the legal framework of migration flows for employment (by providing three-
months renewable contracts).
When we tackle this incident from a legal perspective and after the authorities arrested those
85 Tunisian women on basis of prostitution charges upon their return from being forced to work
in prostitution in August 2012. The judge dropped charges of 79 of them and the rest arrested for
illegal prostitution and pimping. First, we see how the current laws fail female victims forced into
prostitution after being trafficked. They were not identified or believed to be victims and were
convicted under laws of Penal Code (articles 231 and 232) for the absence of a specific law on
trafficking. However, if the new anti-trafficking bill of law was an applicable law by then, these
women wouldn’t have gone through all these accusations and convictions. In fact, as mentioned
in the previous chapter, this bill will broaden the range of victims to guarantee no victim of
trafficking would face similar fate of being pled guilty in illegal prostitution. One of the victims
in a different incident, A. A., was promised to work as a nurse and when she arrived to her
destination it wasn’t the case. The pimp asked her to repay the 3000 dollars he had already paid
for her plane ticket and visa. When her phone was confiscated, she couldn’t contact her family

162
The situation arising from forcing the debtor to perform work or services either by themselves or another
dependent person as a guarantee to a debt they awe if the fair value of that work or service is not used to pay off this
debt or if the service’s period or nature was undetermined.
163
The kafala system is another term to sponsorship. It is a system used to monitor migrant laborers in the Middle
East, mainly in Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
164
Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization, an association of over 100 national policeforces, devoted to
fighting international crime through collaboration among intelligence agencies around the world.
 Haffar 68

and was obliged to stay there until she pays off her debt.
For the Tunisian judicial system now, a victim is only a victim if she returns back to Tunisia
quickly enough for the judges to believe her, otherwise she is accused of wanting to work as a
prostitute and wanting the money she gets from it. Najet El Jaouadi states: “Some of them stay up
to two years and come back talking about different boyfriends, that is for us pure prostitution and
we don’t regret putting such women in jail.”165
Some other victims were released because they proved being deceived into falsified jobs.
The court’s case states that N., the Lebanese trafficker, who was behind this crime, along with
three female intermediaries and three female victims were sentences to jail. 166N. got sentenced to
three years imprisonment, while the other three intermediaries got a sentence of a year and the
victims of trafficking who were convicted of illegal prostitution got a sentence of eight months in
prison. This shows how unserious laws are in deterring such crimes and punishing network
traffickers in such way. Three years of imprisonment is considered as nothing compared to the
seriousness of this crime which affected severely the lives of 85 women and maybe some others.
So, is wondering about the legitimacy of re-victimizing these three victims a valid point when we
examine the defaulted law?
When it comes to statistics, there is a huge lack of national efforts in providing accurate
statistics of transnational trafficking crimes against Tunisian women abroad. It was only until
January 2015 that the Ministry of Interior provided me with statistics about women victims of
sex trafficking in the Middle East for the years 2012- 2013- 2014. The number of female
trafficking intermediaries detected in Tunisia in 2012 was 38, in 2013 it was 24 and in 2014 it
was 39. When it comes to the numbers of victims detected in 2012 it was 87, in 2013 it was 177
and in 2014 a total of 88.167 However, the IOM only identified two Tunisian victims exploited in
trafficking abroad (Liberia and USA), mainly in forced prostitution and forced services.168In the
quest for testimonies from Tunisian victims trafficked abroad, I faced a lot of difficulties in
reaching them and getting their direct stories as my applications in different NGOs and ministries
were rejected.169 However, it was easier to get testimonies of foreign women trafficked in Tunisia

165
Jaouadi, Najet. The responsible for the department of social prevention of the judicial police under the Ministry of
Interior. Interviewed by Racha Haffar. 23 April 2015. See Appendix X.
166
Case number 2278, 14 March 2013, Court of First Instance in Tunis.
167
See Appendix IV for statistics of Ministry of Interior.
168
See Appendix Vfor IOM statistics.
169
See AppndixVI for proof
 Haffar 69

as NGOs were permitted to pass them to me.

After studying the Lebanon case, I would like to point out some other similar, yet separate
incidents. There are cases of women being arrested upon their return in Tunisia after declaring
being sexually exploited in Lebanon and Bahrain. There is an incident of 28 women who were
trafficked in Lebanon in 2012. A pimp was behind sending them to Lebanon and sending others
to Bahrain. Two of these women trafficked in Bahrain were interviewed170 and they stated that
they were kept in their rooms all day without any freedom of movement, in 2012.
The only testimony I got was the story of one of the victim’s fiancé who spoke on Ettounsia
channel171 when the program ‘Labes’ shed the light on trafficking cases and their processes. So
this victim is one of the 28 mentioned above. 172

B. Foreign Women Trafficking in Tunisia

After the revolution, more foreign women, specifically Africans, have been found subject to
trafficking in Tunisia. In 2011, a case of an Ivorian woman who has been held in domestic
servitude was revealed. She was kept by a senior official.173 Another case of an Ivorian woman
held in domestic servitude by another senior official of the same institution in Tunis came to
surface.174 In addition, seven Nigerian women were identified as trafficking victims into domestic
servitude in Libya by networks in Italy when the ship they were on while heading to Europe,
which was full of migrants was assisted by Tunisian Coast Guard after getting stranded at the sea
in 2012. Two weeks later they were repatriated back to Nigeria.175
The only statistics which exist in Tunisia covering the profiles of this category of trafficked
foreign women in Tunisia are provided by the IOM. They have been assisted in the period
between 2012 and 2015. I got this document in April shortly after its preparation.
Since 2012, the total number of victims detected and assisted by the IOM was a total of 43
victims.176 Among these victims, 23 come from Ivory Coast (58%), 9 from Nigeria (22%), 2 from

170
Supra Note 8, p.64
171
February 20 2013.
172
Check Appendix VII for testimony.
173
Department, U.S State. «U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report.» June 2013. www.state.gov. 4
February 2015 <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf
174
Supra Note 8, 65.
175
Ibid
176
These statistics are coordination with public national institutions, organizations of civil society and foreign
 Haffar 70

Tunisia, 2 from Mali, 2 from Colombia and 1 victim from each of Cameroun, Ghana, Senegal,
Philippines and Congo. From the total number, the highest percentages were those of Ivory Coast
(54%) and Nigeria was second (21%).
The types of exploitation were as follows:
 Thirty six cases of domestic servitude.
 Five cases of exploitation in forced labor.
 One case of sexual exploitation and forced labor.
 One case of sexual exploitation.
The majority of victims are females aged (18-52), 21 of them are women coming from Ivory
Coast who were exploited in domestic servitude in the capital Tunis and other Tunisian coastline
cities. There was another group of young Nigerian females who were detected among illegal
migrants rescued at the sea in 2012 as they were exploited in Libya in domestic servitude and
some signs show that they were possibly exploited in forced prostitution upon arrival in Europe.
The majority of the victims assisted were adults (88%); however, five of them were minors-
below the age of eighteen (2 Nigerians, 2 Ivorians, 1 Malian.)177
I managed to get two testimonies about trafficked Ivorian female victims in Tunisia.
The first testimony is by Father David178, who headed the funeral of a migrant victim to the
Christian cemetery of Sfax. He testified to the ATFD on the situation of Ivoirians trafficked into
domestic servitude in Sfax.179 Testimony is provided in Appendix VIII. The second one is a story
of a Malian victim of domestic servitude in Tunisia presented by Amal Association.180

II. Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations and Trafficking in Women

in Tunisia

In this final section, I will talk about the efforts made by governmental and non-governmental
bodies in the post-revolution period in protecting and helping victims. This includes state’s
instances and civil society actors, basically IGOs and NGOs. Then I will give a general thorough

consultants in Tunisia. In the framework of the S.H.A.R.E project activities.

177
See Appendix V for document handed in April 2015 by IOM
178
David Mayeda Gnadouwa is the preist to whom these Ivorian trafficking victims dared to resort to for help.
179
Sfax is a city located 270Km southeast of the capital Tunis.
180
See Appendix IX for Malian victim testimony.
 Haffar 71

criticism to what have been missing in the fight against trafficking in women in Tunisia by these
different actors.

1. Post-Revolution Governmental Efforts in Providing Protection and Help for Victims

When it comes to the protection of the witnesses and victims:

The penal code doesn’t have any precise laws in this matter; however, the new bill of law has put
forward some new articles in this mater, and I mention the ones I didn’t mention earlier:

 Providing physical protection for victims, witnesses, whistleblowers, judges and

everyone involved in informing the authorities about the crimes.
 Hiding the identity of anyone who asks for it depending on the danger degree assessed
by the judicial body in charge.
 Victims get the right to ask for information and guidance about appealing for
compensation.181

When it comes to the health, social and psychological protection for victims, the new law will
provide victims with:

 Medical help
 Judicial support with no costs to ensure rights for the victims and guidance with
judicial help to start their cases against their perpetrators.
 Helping victims return to their countries.
 Social help (education, housing, jobs) for victims to reintegrate in their lives again.

Regarding the efforts of enhancing national capacity to prevent and fight trafficking in
persons:

 The S.H.A.R.E project in cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and the IOM has
been working on enhancing national capacities since 2011.

181
See Appendix II
 Haffar 72

 In the framework of the project, a series of six workshops were organized during 2013 in
the capital and the regions in order to train officials on identifying victims and the
different needed methods for helping them.
 Over hundred officials benefited from these trainings; including teams from different
ministries (Social Affairs, Women Affairs and Family, Foreign Affairs, and Justice). Also,
judges, public prosecutors, representatives of embassies, consulates and diplomats.
In addition, this new bill would also provide a green line for victims to directly reach the
Tunisian authorities from any place they are at.182 Since 2011 the Tunisian government has
improved its knowledge about the topic and the range of victims through research and
investigations conducted after the revolution, and through the creation of a database of trafficking
crimes which was initiated by the ministry of interior in 2012.

2. Post-Revolution Non-Governmental Efforts in Providing Protection and Help for

Victims

Alongside the state’s efforts, there must be some coordinated actions on the level of civil
society, NGOs and IGOs to effectively counter trafficking in Tunisia. Combining efforts could
create synergies, which will prevent trafficking and also provide better protecting and help to
victims. Even though we notice a growing interest in this issue lately, more specifically after the
revolution; however, little has been done to fight trafficking in Tunisia. It is worth mentioning
that the role of NGOs and IGOs is so important in combatting this crime, but there is a huge
absence for organizations specialized in this field. It is true that with the help of the IOM and the
S.H.A.R.E project which put together governmental and non-governmental bodies closer in their
work against this, there is still a lot to do. International organizations such as the IOM, UNHCR
183
, The High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and The United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA) are working together on this; nevertheless, they all agree on the need to rely more
on civil society to provide appropriate services to vulnerable groups of trafficking, especially
women with a better understanding of the local context. But it is sad to see how underdeveloped
this network is in Tunisia and how limited their capacities and resources are.
182
Abida, Salma. Judge at the Ministry of Justice. Interviewed by Racha Haffar.15 April 2015. See Appendix X.
183
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) prevents trafficking in persons among
vulnerable groups (asylum seekers, repatriated, stateless persons, internal displaced persons) and assist victims.
 Haffar 73

Tunisian NGOs which are involved directly in the fight against trafficking are at the same
time a part of the S.H.A.R.E project and they are: Amal Association,184 Beity Association,185 the
Tunisian Red Crescent, ATFD, AIESAT,186AFTURD,187Caritas,188 and Terre
d’Asile.189According to the Ministry of Justice, the role of these NGOs as it sees it is that of a
partner of the previously mentioned S.H.A.R.E project. These NGOs are specialized in different
fields and they work on other types of victims, but this doesn’t stop them from trying to help any
potential trafficking victim. One of the problems facing these NGOs is that there is little research
done to uncover the magnitude of this problem.190
The IOM has made an awareness-raining campaign based on a video called “The Story of
Fatma.” The video tells a story of a Tunisian young woman seeking a job online; she eventually
gets to the destination country of her new job after going through an easy recruitment procedure
to find herself a victim of trafficking.191 During an interview with Hanen Ben Belgacem,192
working at the IOM, I got to learn about the way the IOM helps victims trafficked in Tunisia to
return home. According to Hanen, once a victim is identified, she gets social and psychological
help and gets encouraged to file a case against her perpetrator. In the case of refusal for their
security and because of fear of traffickers, they get help to go back home through a purchased
airplane ticket and some money to start a little project back home to sustain their living. Some of
them go to seek help to return home without realizing they are victims. However, the IOM also
helps get those with illegal status-who stayed longer than three months- an exemption from the
government; as without the Exemption they have to pay a fine of 80 dinars per extra illegal
month, which they can’t afford. Personally, from what I have read in different sources, I believe it
might not be safe for many of them to be sent back home as they might find themselves back to
the same situation prior to their trafficking incident, especially victims coming from conflict

184
Amal Association
185
Beity Association
186
AIESAT: L'Association Internationale des Etudiants et Stagiaires Africains à Tunis
187
AFTURD : Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche sur le Développement
188
Caritas: Christian Charity
189
Terre d’Asile: NGO working on immigrants’ rights.
190
Julia Braunmiller, «The Protection Project Report Review of the Traficking in Persons Repor .» July 2013,
http://www.protectionproject.org, 1 May 2015 <http://www.protectionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/TPP-
Review-of-TIP-Report-2013-Final.pdf>.
191
IOM Moddle East and North Africa: Flash Report
https://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Flash-Report-32.pdf
192
Belgacem, Hanen Ben. Project Assistent at the International Organization of Migration. Interviewed by Racha
Haffar. 15 May 2015. See Appendix X.
 Haffar 74

zones. Also, if a network or gang was involved, they might threaten the safety of the victim and
her family. And in the cases of refugees fleeing wars, they might not have a home to return to in
the first place.193 The only way to properly fight this crime is by uniting efforts between the
different sectors and make sure the public also gets involved in this through raising awareness.

3. General Criticism

I will end this chapter by providing a thorough criticism in relation to the laws, protection of
victims, and overall performance. Even though the government is making significant efforts like
the ones mentioned in the previous parts, it is important to note that it does not fully comply with
the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. When it comes to criticizing the overall
performance in relation to the legal framework and its development, we can mention that the
legal vacuum is an important default. More than a decade after signing and ratifying the Palermo
protocol and still there is no national legal framework to fight trafficking. The government still
doesn’t consider the current bill of law as a priority. It is even more frightening that the laws in
use today haven’t been ratified since 1913. More concern is expressed by experts about the fact
that the bill has not promulgated yet. For them, this delay is dangerous as it jeopardizes the
situation of trafficking in the country specially, and human rights generally. Abdelhamid Abdallah
stated: “This shows how slow we act and how much damage we cause to ourselves by losing all
this time in advancing our legal framework.”194
There are other gaps on different levels. There is no national central unit of collecting data in
relation to trafficking analysis information and making statistics. There are no accurate statistics
about the most spread forms and cases of trafficking nationally and transnationally. There are no
clear and exact information about the link between the crimes of trafficking and illegal
immigrations and no specific statics about the crimes of trafficking. There is a huge lack in
statistics in relation to victims, which I already spoke about earlier. The government doesn’t
recognize all these gaps as a real problem affecting the nation, and the concerned authorities
assume that trafficking is not wide spread. However, the government’s continued determination
that trafficking in persons is not a significant problem in the country has created a hindrance for

193
David A Feingold, "Human Trafficking." October 2005. https://www.jstor.org,19 April 2015
<https://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Flash-Report-32.pdf>.
194
Abdallah, Abdelhamid. Previous head of mission at the Ministry of Human Rights and Transnational Justice.
Interview by Racha Haffar. 2015 January 22. See Appendix X
 Haffar 75

police and court officials to address trafficking cases.

On the level of prosecution, it’s true that there was a raise from zero prosecutions and
convictions in 2012 into one sex trafficking prosecution in 2013 using the existing legal
framework, that increase remains very low. In fact, these numbers of course lack accuracy as
there is a lack of statistics. In the Lebanon case the pimp was sentenced to only 3 years
imprisonment under article 232 of Penal Code. This penalty doesn’t show the seriousness of the
offense and is for sure insufficient. However, and according to the ministry of justice, this
information is different as in their report, 177 victims were recorded in 2013 and there were 50
cases at courts in the first 7 months of 2014 and the penalties were between 6 months and 3 years.
So, this inaccuracy in tracing crimes and criminals is in fact problematic.
When it comes to victims, there are no specific tools or national mechanisms as a reference to
recognize them especially among illegal immigrants and to provide protection for them. There are
no specific methods to help victims except what the child protection code provides guidelines
against sexual or economic exploitation of children such as prostitution or begging. There are no
exact data about the nationalities and sexes of victims. No exact data about the re-trafficked
victims and the reasons which made them fall again in the hands of traffickers. There are no data
on mechanisms and tools of directing victims to specific authorities or facilities for protection
and help.195 No exact statistics about the different categories of trafficked victims but the one
about the foreign victims trafficked into Tunisia and the Tunisian women trafficked abroad in
prostitution. It is true that maybe the explicit cross-border forms of trafficking such as the
Lebanon case are not wide spread, but trafficking in Tunisia is increasing and the denial by the
public for the little knowledge and the denial by authorities helps in aggravating the situation and
subjugating more women to more victimization, suffering and loss of their rights. Therefore, the
country is violating what Article 46 of the constitution says about protecting women.196 The
government does not encourage victims by any kind of policies to come forward ask for
prosecution of their trafficking offenders.197

195
Official Governmental Document: The Response of the Ministry of Justice about the Country‘s Efforts in Fighting
Trafficking in Persons in Tunisia, appendix I.
196
The State commits to protecting women's achieved rights and works to promote and develop them. The State shall
guarantee equality of opportunity between men and women in the bearing of all responsibilities and in all fields. The
State shall strive to achieve equal representation for women and men in elected councils. The State shall take the
necessary measures to eradicate violence against women.
197
Department, U.S State. «U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report.» June 2013. www.state.gov. 4
February 2015 <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf
 Haffar 76

The matter of reintegration is off the table as the absence of the specific law has led to the
absence of specified centers in taking care of reintegrating victims back into their societies. Even
though the government is cooperating with international organizations and actors into offering
temporary shelters and social services to Libyans, Syrians, and other people fleeing political
unrests. There are no previous registered cases of cooperation with other Arab, African or
Western states in judicial and security matters.198There are no specific data on the number of
victims who received protection services with all its different forms, without specifying their
ages, sexes nationalities and the type of services they got.199
Finally, Tunisia not only risks the well-being of its citizens for not applying its own national
law, but also risks the United States aids and its classification of Tunisia on its trafficking
ranking. This means the country will hit the lowest level at the Tier List, which is for those states
that put the least effort in fighting trafficking.

198
Supra Note 195
199
See Appendix II
 Haffar 77

CONCLUSION
 Haffar 78

This research helped me discover some facts about trafficking in women in Tunisia. The first
chapter of this research traced the historical timeline of the emergence of slavery and trafficking
in persons throughout history. It also defined concepts necessary to understand the phenomenon
of trafficking in women in Tunisia as it shows the relations between the different faces of slavery
that are embodied in trafficking. The chapter explores the different forms of exploitation which
affect a female victim according to the new legal texts and definitions such as the Palermo
Protocol. It adds to this the new definitions introduced at the Tunisian national context through
the new anti-trafficking bill of law. This bill brought new concepts of exploitation to the surface
in relation to women’s rights, such as renting women wombs and forced marriage. In addition, it
creates a link between traditional slavery in Tunisia in the past with today’s trafficking. By
introducing the new post-revolution Tunisian context, exploitation with all its forms in Tunisia
makes more sense today in the light of the recent changes at the social, political, economic and
legal levels. The first chapter also tackled trafficking in women from a gender perspective,
showing the main reasons making of women the biggest proportion of abused citizens in their
societies.
The second chapter shed light on the legal developments of trafficking-related laws which
advanced starting from the early 1900s. International legal instruments played an important role
in combatting slavery and putting trafficking in its current context today. If it was not for these
tools, slavery would have been more spread and more victims would have had to endure
inhumane practices. The Palermo Protocol which came into practice in 2003 was the latest
international instrument to put forward a global accepted definition, mechanisms, and strategies
for a better updated fight against trafficking. Although Tunisia signed and ratified this Protocol
accordingly in the same year as a way of compliance with international standards to fight the
trafficking crime, it failed to validate its own national anti-trafficking law on time. The Tunisian
 Haffar 79

legal system still lacks the practicality in dealing with such crime and its victims, as laws of the
Penal Code applied today have proved to be inefficient in prosecution and protection. The
Tunisian legal framework is out of date and short in achieving justice to affected women victims
of trafficking. Experts and concerned authorities found themselves obliged to put forward more
efforts in the field of fighting trafficking. They started to organize workshops, campaigns to bring
the proper know-how of fighting trafficking and protecting victims. However, these efforts are
still limited and need to be boosted in an efficient manner.
The last chapter examined the scene of trafficking in post-revolution Tunisia. It explained
how the revolution played a catalyst in advancing forms, categories and numbers of trafficked
women. Throughout the chapter, I analyzed categories of vulnerable groups in Tunisia. Students,
single mothers, and immigrants make up a big portion of the total number of victims. In addition,
the research presented statistics of both categories of transnational trafficked women in Tunisia.
Ivorian women make up the majority of foreign women trafficked in Tunisian for servitude with
58 percent of the total number followed by Nigeria with a total of 22 percent 200. Tunisian women
trafficked abroad for sexual exploitation make a total of 88 victims in 2014. 201 Moreover, the new
forms of trafficking in post-revolution Tunisia include the Jihad al-Nikah on which no concrete
data could be traced for the fact that there is so much secrecy on the issue. Tunisia makes a
perfect country of origin, transit and destination of trafficked victims with a strategic location at
the tip of the African continent that makes it a great attraction to illegal immigrants fleeing their
African countries towards the European continent. The advance of technology, education and lack
of employment make many women seek better jobs abroad. Traffickers find a great opportunity
to exploit women with false promises. Here one can mention the case of eighty five Tunisian
women who were pled guilty upon their return to Tunisia from being trafficked in Lebanon into
prostitution.
The focus here was on the notion of re-victimization of Tunisian women. Women exploited in
prostitution once trafficked face harsh accusations from Tunisian authorities. They are not
considered as victims unless proved otherwise -according to articles 231 and 232 of the Penal
Code-and might end up convicted for a year imprisonment. This is a consequence of the absence
of specific laws categorizing victims as such. The new Tunisian Anti-Trafficking bill of law puts

200
See appendix V for full statistics
201
See appendix IV for full statistics
 Haffar 80

forward the notion of exempting victims from the effort of proving their innocence and
automatically categorizes them as victims regardless of their situation.
Trafficking in women in Tunisia has reached a new alerting status and needs more attention.
Although governmental and non-governmental bodies have started to put more efforts in standing
against this phenomenon, there still remains a huge lack in combatting its growth and
development. Today, we see more of it than yesterday, and it exists in all forms and corners of the
country. Look around carefully and you might detect a victim, but the public might be ignorant of
the whole thing since there is little knowledge and awareness about the issue.
Throughout this research, I faced many challenges that hindered my data collection. First of
all, the topic is new to the Tunisian scene and not much research has been done about the issue. I
had to conduct my own field work to get first-hand information. Second, I faced a lot of
difficulties to reach victims. When I applied for an authorization from the ministry of interior to
meet certain victims related to the Lebanon case or to the Jihad al-Nikah or even prostitution, I
was faced with rejection and all I got was false promises. When it comes to the Jihad al-Nikah, I
could not find any proper documented cases to study and introduce in my research. In addition,
reaching victims through the NGOs was also difficult as the number is limited and these victims
refuse to be interviewed for safety measures. Third, the lack of knowledge of some of the
interviewees was problematic for the research for not enough showed awareness in regard to this
issue. There is a lack of understanding about the definitions and forms of trafficking in persons
and I had to explain it practically to every single person instead of getting the information I seek
from them. There were some problems reaching certain officials which prevented further
collection and analysis of data. In many cases I also was not welcomed and helped even by some
NGOs.
During this research, I came to find recommendations on a professional level given by
organizations, national authority officials and experts in different sectors. I will put forward some
of these recommendation that might really help improve the scheme of fighting and preventing
trafficking in women in Tunisia, and provide a basis for a better way of dealing with victims.
The first thing that has to be done at the legal level for a real fight against this crime is to pass
the anti-trafficking law for the importance of having a specific legal framework at the national
level. The anti-trafficking commission already mentioned in Chapter II should start working as
soon as possible to take in charge many anti-trafficking actions and future plans. This
 Haffar 81

commission could create a database for statistics and launch awareness campaigns. Educational
campaigns, seminars, and workshops should work on raising awareness about trafficking for a
better prevention. It is important to start implementing measures against discrimination
vulnerable groups face, especially in relation to gender, origins, region, occupation, and family
status (divorced women and singles mothers). 202 A comprehensive national action plan should be
taken into consideration in parallel with the legal framework. In fact, laws related to the
protection of vulnerable groups have to be reinforced by the government and laws failing victims
should be revoked. There must be an adoption of national legislation for asylum seekers, and a
reinforcement of laws concerning illegal immigrants.
Second, when it comes to victims, the government should develop measures and techniques
to identify victims through providing trainings for specialized authorities among vulnerable
groups, illegal immigrants, asylum seekers and foreigners working in Tunisia. 203 The government
should set up specialized shelters and centers to help and assist trafficking victims
psychologically, physically and socially in to protect them from their traffickers. This should
include a green line and a toll free center for instant reach of authorities. Developing a National
Referral Mechanism-which includes all stakeholders in order to strengthen national cooperation
including governmental bodies, non-governmental bodies, civil society, international
organizations, local unions, UN agencies and even media outlets- to cover all aspects for the
protection and assistance of victims.204 It is necessary to create measures for transnational victims
to go back home and help them with their reintegration in their countries of origin. The states
should provide alternatives to laws of repatriation of victims especially when they need the
protection of the destination country, such as resettlement in a third country.205
Creating cooperation and partnership between the state and the private sector to guarantee
national victims get access to education, trainings, and employment is a must. There should be a
focus on strengthening the capacity of police officers and border control officers and justice ones
through trainings of investigation research techniques for a better reach of victims and traffickers.
When it comes to the regional level, it is recommended to initiate a collective database for

202
The International Organization for Migration, "Baseline Study on Trafficking in Persons in Tunisia: Assessing the
Scope and Manifestations." 2013, http://tunisia.iom.int, 15 February 2015.
203
s.d The United States Department, http://www.state.gov, 14 April 2015
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226849.pdf .
204
Supra Note 202
205
Ibid
 Haffar 82

information and statistics. Exchanging legal and technical expertise help alleviate the level of
deterrence in the region as a whole. Creating a mutual fund among these states of the region for
supporting and integrating victims could bring some positive changes in their lives. It is also
suggested by the Ministry of Justice to Support the Arab initiative into building capacities
through the intensive training workshops and regional meetings to help authorities work in this
matter.206 Sami ben Houidi stated the importance of strengthening the fight against poverty as it
helps save many prospective victims. Understanding the schemes of unemployment help
overcoming the obstacles created by poverty and which in turn affects the Tunisian population. 207
At the personal level, I have come across some ideas to help improve the fight against
trafficking. I believe it is highly important to work on strengthening the capacity of civil society
and to create NGOs interested in trafficking in persons. Hence, it is impossible to fight trafficking
networks and help vulnerable women at risk without launching NGOs specialized in this field
who could have trained staff into identifying and assisting different forms and categories of
national and cross border victims. These NGOs could take in charge the responsibility to raise
awareness among university students and even reach out to the Ministry of Education to spread
the knowledge through integrated curricula and textbooks. In relation to the exploitation of
domestic servants, there should be specialized inspectors assigned for checking homes where
potential victims could be recruited. Moreover, the public needs a comprehensive understanding
about the topic in the light of the immense ignorance demonstrated by citizens. This could be
done through print-outs, leaflets, booklets and catalogues to be distributed in public spaces in
different events. It could include introducing the definitions of trafficking, the ways it may
happen, who could be a victim, how to detect one and report him/her to authorities. It could also
include authorities to directly reach them for any suspected crime. Finally, when I think about
cases like the Lebanon one, I find it beneficial if the state keeps track of women who travel for
jobs abroad and create a rescue team. This strategy could work if the state makes sure to keep the
contacts of these working women and to contact them upon their arrival, which is of course with
their consent to be protected by the state.

206
See Appendix II
207
Houidi, Sami Ben. Assistant Director-General of the Department of judicial interests in the Ministry of Justice
interviewed by Racha Haffar. 20 April 2015. See Appendix X
 Haffar 83

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Haffar 84

BOOKS
 Craggs, Sarah. “Fighting Trafficking in Persons With approach based on human rights.”
Fighting Trafficking in Person with the approach based on human rights, Tunis: Annual
Report of Activities 2011,IOM (2012),2012.21.
 Donovan, Brian. White Slave Crusades: Race, Gender, and Anti-vice Activism. Illinois:
University of Illinois Press, 2006.
 Maffei, M. Clara. Tratta, prostituzione forzata e diritto internazionale. Il caso delle
«donne di conforto».Giuffrè, 2002.
 Obokata, Tom. Trafficking Of Human Beings From A Human Rights Perspective: Towards
A Holistic Approach. The Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2006.
 Segrave, Marie, Sanja Milivojevic and Pickering. Sex Trafficking: International Context
and Response. Portland: Willan, 2009
 Silvia Scarpa, Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery. London: Oxford University
Press, 2008)
 Verzijl, J. H. Jan Hendrik Willem. International Law in Historical Perspective. The
Hague: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1998.
 Waki, Lubna Al. «Presentation on child protection delegate in Bizerte, Reality of
Trafficking in Children and Minors through the work of Delegates Minors through the
work of Delegates of Child Protection.» s.d.

TUNISIAN LEGISLATION
 Présidence de la République. "Journal Officiel De la République Tunisienne." 22 May
2015. http://www.legislation.tn 14 June 2015
 The Jasmine Foundation. "Constitution of the Republic of Tunisia." 26 January 2014.
http://www.jasmine-foundation.org/. 2 April 2015 http://www.jasmine-
 Haffar 85

foundation.org/doc/unofficial_english_translation_of_tunisian_constitution_final_ed.pdf
 Ministère de la Justice et des Droits de l'Homme Tunsienne. "Code Pénal Tunisie." 12
December 2010. http://www.e-justice.tn. 12 April 2015 http://www.e-
justice.tn/fileadmin/fichiers_site_francais/codes_juridiques/Code_penal_12_07_2010_fr.p
df

INTERVIEWS
 Abdallah, Abdelhamid. Previous head of mission at the Ministry of Human Rights and
Transnational Justice. Interview by Racha Haffar. 2015 January 22.
 Abida, Salma. Judge at the Ministry of Justice. Interviewed by Racha Haffar.15 April
2015.
 Belgacem, Hanen Ben. Project Assistant at the International Organization of Migration.
Interviewed by Racha Haffar.15 May 2015.
 Houidi, Sami Ben. Assistant Director-General of the Department of Judicial interests in
the Ministry of Justice. Interviewed by Racha Haffar. 20 April 2015.
 Amari, Sadok. Interview of the Attorney General at the Ministry of Justice. Interviewed
by Racha Haffar. 3 April 2015.
 Jaouadi, Najet. The responsible for the department of social prevention of the judicial
police under the Ministry of Interior. Interviewed by Racha Haffar. 23 April 2015.
 Yacoubi, Amal. Project Officer at the EuroMed. Interviewed by Racha Haffar, 19 January
2015.
 Mawahem, Hedia. Beity, Association for Women without Homes. Interviewed by Racha
Haffar. 23 January 2015.
 Messai, Mohamed. Researcher Judge at the Center of Legal Studies. Interviewed by
Racha Haffar 20 April 2015.

PAY TO USE DATA BASES

 http://www.lexisnexis.com
 http://www.jstor.org

ARTICLE, STUDIES AND REPORTS

 Haffar 86

 Amiel, Alexandra. « INTEGRATING A HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE INTO THE

EUROPEAN APPROACH TO COMBATING THE TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN FOR
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION.»2006. https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com. 20 June
2015 https://litigation-
essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite
&docid=12+Buff.+Hum.+Rts.+L.+Rev.+5&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=56a5f4f178c
d3075a73abcda44dae08f
 Andreas, Schloenhardt, et Corin Morcom .«ALL ABOUT SEX?!THE EVOLUTION OF
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW.» March 2011.
http://www.law.uq.edu.au. 4 January 2015
http://www.law.uq.edu.au/documents/humantraffic/international-law/Evolution-of-Int-
Law-relating-to-Trafficking-in-Persons.pdf
 Ben Achour, Souhayma, "Le droit tunisien face à la traite de personnes et au trafic de
migrants: Note d'analyse et de synthèse." 2011. http://cadmus.eui.eu/. 14 March 2015
<http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/17800/CARIM_ASN_2011_47.pdf?sequenc
e=1
 Braunmiller, Julia. «The Protection Project Report Review of the Trafficking in Persons
Report» July 2013. http://www.protectionproject.org. 1 May 2015
<http://www.protectionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/TPP-Review-of-TIP-
Report-2013-Final.pdf>.
 Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. «Guide to the New UN trafficking
protocol.»2001. http://www.no-trafficking.org. 18 May 15 <http://www.no-
trafficking.org/content/pdf/guide_to_the_new_un_trafficking_protocol.pdf>.
 Coomaraswamy, Radhika. Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender
Perspective, Violence Against Women. 29 February 2000. 16 December 2014
http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/0/e29d45a105cd8143802568be0051fcfb/$
FILE/G0011334.pdf
 Department, U.S State. «U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report.» June
2013. www.state.gov. 4 February 2015
<http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf>.
 Derks, Annuska. "From White Slaves to Trafficking Survivors." May 2009.
 Haffar 87

http://www.nswp.org. 2015 April 16 <http://www.nswp.org/sites/nswp.org/files/CMD-

0002M.pdf
 Doezema, Joe. «Loose women or lost women? the re-emergence of the myth of white
slavery in contemporary discourses of trafficking in women.» December 1999.
http://link.springer.com. 22 March 2015 <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12147-
999-0021-9#page-1>.
 Demleitner, Nora V. «Forced Prostitution: Naming an International Offense.» 1994.
http://index.justice.gov.il. 14 April 2015
http://index.justice.gov.il/Units/Trafficking/MainDocs/Forced%20Prostitution-
%20Naming%20an%20International%20Offense.pdf
 European Council. "Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air,
supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime."
24 July 2006. http://ec.europa.eu. 19 June 2015
 Feingold, David A. "Human Trafficking." October 2005. https://www.jstor.org. 19 April
2015 <https://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/IOM-Flash-Report-
32.pdf>.
 France 24 "‫ ”تونسيات مارسن "جهاد النكاح" في سوريا يعدن إلى بالدهن حوامل‬19 September 2013.
france24.FR. 15 April 2015 http://www.france24.com/ar/20130919-
%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3-%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF-
%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%AD-
%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-
%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-
%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9

 Gabhan, Nic. "Human Trafficking: A twenty First Century Slavery." 2006. jstore.org.2015
May 19 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/27665410 >.
 Haven, E.C. "The abolition of slavery in Tunisia (1846): A study into its historical
backgrounds and its juridico-theological legitimization."2006.
https://openaccess.leidenuniv.n.17 January
2015<https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/4968/second%20chapter%2
0dissertatie.pdf?sequence=5
 King, Lindsey. «TOPICAL RESEARCH DIGEST: HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN
TRAFFICKING.» 10 September 2014. http://endslavery.salvos.org.au. 16 January 2015
<http://endslavery.salvos.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/10.-InternationalLaw.pdf>.
 Haffar 88

 League of Nations. «International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in

Women and Children.» 30 September 1921. treaties.un.org. 20 April 2015
<https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/MTDSG/Volume%20I/Chapter%20VII/VII-
3.en.pdf>.
 Moghadam, Valentine M. «SHS Papers in Women’s Studies/ Gender.»2003.
http://www.cpahq.org/. 6 January 2015
<http://www.cpahq.org/cpahq/cpadocs/Feminization_of_Poverty.pdf>.
 Morcom, Corine et al. «Evolution of Trafficking in Persons in International Law.»2011.
http://www.law.uq.edu.a. 04 June 2015
<http://www.law.uq.edu.au/documents/humantraffic/international-law/Evolution-of-Int-
Law-relating-to-Trafficking-in-Persons.pdf>.
 Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. "RECOMMENDED PRINCIPLES
AND."
2010.http://www.ohchr.org.2April2015<http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/C
ommentary_Human_Trafficking_en.pdf
 Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights.Supplementary Convention on the
Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery.
2015. 01 April
2015<http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/SupplementaryConventionAb
olitionOfSlavery.aspx>.
 Samarasinghe , Vidyamali et al. «Strategising Prevention: A Critical Review of Local
Initiatives to Prevent Female Sex Trafficking.» February 2007. jstore.org. 14 April 2015
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/25548176?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>.
 Sandra Milena, "Theoretical Reading in Trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual
exploitation in prostitution,Case of Study: Columbia ." 2010.
http://www.banrepcultural.org/,15 January 2015
<http://www.banrepcultural.org/sites/default/files/ma.tesis-explotacion-sexual-caso-
colombia-sandra-milena-cardozo-pro.pdf>.
 Schulman, Cristina. "Protecting children against sexual violence: The criminal law
benchmarks of the Budapest and Lanzarote Conventions." 4 December 2012.
http://www.coe.int. 3 April 2015
 Haffar 89

<http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/cooperation/economiccrime/cybercrime/Documents/Reports-
Presentations/2571_Child_benchmark_study_V32_pub_4_Dec12.pdf>.
 The Global Slavery Index. «The Global Slavery Index 2014.»2014.
http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/.14December2014<https://d3mj66ag90b5fy.cloudfront
.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Global_Slavery_Index_2014_final_lowres.pdf
 The International Labour Organisation. «Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957
(No. 105).» 25 June 1957. www.ohchr.org. 25 November 2014
<http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/abolition.pdf>.
 The International Organization for Migration. "Baseline Study on Trafficking in Persons
in Tunisia: Assessing the Scope and Manifestations." 2013. http://tunisia.iom.int. 15
February 2015
<http://tunisia.iom.int/sites/default/files/resources/files/IOMTunisia_BaselineStudyTraffic
king_English_LR.pdf
 The United States Department of State."Gender Imbalance in Human Trafficking." 15
June 2009. state.gov. 2 April 2015
<http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/126792.pdf>
 The United States Department.s.d. http://www.state.gov. 14 April 2015
<http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/226849.pdf>.
 United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.The
Feminization of Poverty. May 2000. 12 December 2014
<http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/followup/session/presskit/fs1.htm>
 United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. «Convention for the
Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of
Others.» 2 December 1949. http://www.ohchr.org/. 5 January 2015
<http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/TrafficInPersons.aspx>.
 United Nations Office on Trafficking and Drugs. "Global Report on Trafficking in
Persons 2012."2012. https://www.unodc.org. 15 February 2015
<https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-
analysis/glotip/Trafficking_in_Persons_2012_web.pdf
 United Nations Population Fund, «Addressing Violence against Women and Girls in
Sexual and Reproductive Health Services.» 2010. http://www.unfpa.org/ 10 January 2015
 Haffar 90

 The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Trafficking in Persons and Migrant
Smuggling. 2015. 05 Feb 2015 <http://www.unodc.org/lpo-brazil/en/trafico-de-
pessoas/index.html>,
 Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, United States of America
Department of State. 2012. 13 February 2015 http://www.state.gov/j/tip/ .

INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
 League of Nations. «International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in
Women of Full Age.» 11 October 1933. treaties.un.org. 24 January 2015
<https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=VII-
5&chapter=7&lang=en>.
 League of Nations. «International Convention for the Suppression of the White Slave
Traffic, signed at Paris on 4 May 1910, amended by the Protocol signed at Lake Success,
New York, 4 May 1949.» 4 May 1949. treaties.un.org. 10 January 2015
<https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/MTDSG/Volume%20I/Chapter%20VII/VII-
9.en.pdf>.
 The International Labor Organization. « Convention Concerning the Prohibition and
Immediate Action for The Elimination .» June 1999. http://www.ilo.org/. 17 April 2015
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc87/com-chic.htm
 The International Labour Organisation. «C29 Forced Labour Convention, 1930 .» 28 June
1930. tavaana.org. 17 November 2014
<https://tavaana.org/sites/default/files/C29%20Forced%20Labour%20Convention,%2019
30.pdf
 United Nations Convention on Migrant Rights. «International Convention on the
Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Familie.» 1 July
2003. http://unesdoc.unesco.org. 2 April 2015
<http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001435/143557e.pdf>.
 United Nations. «Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against
Women.» 18 December 1979. www.ohchr.org. 25 October 2014
<http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CEDAW.aspx>.
 Haffar 91

 United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, « Convention on the
Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery»
30 April 1956 http://www.ohchr.org/, 5 January 2015
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/SupplementaryConventionAbolition
OfSlavery.aspx

 United Nations."Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,

Especially Women." 2000. www.osce.org. 15 05 2015
 United Nations Treaties Collection.International Convention for the Suppression of the
"White Slave Traffic," May 4, 1910, 211 Consol. T.S. 45, 1912 GR. Brit. T.S. No. 20, as
amended by Protocol Amending the International Agreement for the Suppression of the
White Slave Traffic, and Amendi. 1951. 2 January 2015

WEBOGRAPHY
 Agatucci, Cora.African.Slave Trade and European Imperialism?01 January 2010. 19
January 2015 <http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline3.htm>
 Brown, Richard. Slavery in Africa. 2000. 15 April 2015
<http://autocww.colorado.edu/~flc/E64ContentFiles/AfricanHistory/SlaveryInAfrica.html
>.
 Council of Europe.Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human
Beings. 2005. 20 July 2015
<http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/197.htm>
 EU Neighborhood Info Center.Trafficking in human beings: Euromed Migration III holds
workshop in Vienna. 2 May 2013. 18 October 2014 <http://www.enpi-
info.eu/medportal/news/latest/32916/Trafficking-in-human-beings:-Euromed-Migration-
III-holds-workshop-in-Vienna
 Freedom From Fear Magazine. A short history of trafficking in persons. 23 February
2010. 10 March 2015 <http://f3magazine.unicri.it/?p=281>
 International Labour Organisation. «Unbearable to Human Hearts: Child Trafficking and
Action to Eliminate it.» 01 December 2002. www.ilo.org. 25 December 2014
<http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Informationresources/WCMS_IPEC_PUB_768/lang--
en/index.htm>.
 Segura, Ciara. When did trafficking in women become a human rights issue? – The "white
 Haffar 92

slavery" panic. 27 May 2010. 4 October 2014

<http://stanford.edu/group/womenscourage/cgi-
bin/blogs/sextraffickingandprostitution/2010/05/27/when-did-trafficking-in-women-
become-a-human-rights-issue-the-white-slavery-panic/
 The International Organization of Migration. The Khartoum Process: EU-AU Cooperate
to Combat Human Trafficking in the Horn of Africa. 28 October 2014. 5 January 2015
<http://weblog.iom.int/khartoum-process-eu-au-cooperate-combat-human-trafficking-
horn-africa>.
 The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.Trafficking in Persons and Migrant
Smuggling. 2015. 05 Feb 2015 <http://www.unodc.org/lpo-brazil/en/trafico-de-
pessoas/index.html>.
 The United Nations.The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. September
1995. 12 January 2015
<http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/violence.htm>.
 Haffar 93

Appendices
 Haffar 94

Appendix I: The Tunisian Anti-Trafficking Bill of Law

Appendix II: Ministry of Justice document on the efforts of Tunisia in the fight against
trafficking in persons

Appendix III: Government’s agenda in relation to trafficking in persons.

Appendix IV: Statistics handed by Ministry of Interior, January 2015 by Najet Jaoudi about
trafficked Tunisian women in the Gulf and Lebanon.

Appendix V: Statistics handed by the IOM in April 2015 about the profiles and numbers of
victims of trafficking assisted in Tunisia (2012-2015)

Appendix VI: Certificate from the ATFD as a proof for not being able to get through to victims
testimonies

Appendix VII: Victim Testimony 1

Appendix VIII: Victim Testimony 2

Appendix IX: Victim Testimony 3

Appendix X: Interviews are in a CD attached.

 Haffar 95

APPENDIX I
Haffar 96
Haffar 97
Haffar 98
Haffar 99
Haffar 100
Haffar 101
Haffar 102
Haffar 103
Haffar 104
Haffar 105
Haffar 106
Haffar 107
Haffar 108
Haffar 109
Haffar 110
Haffar 111
Haffar 112
Haffar 113
Haffar 114
Haffar 115
Haffar 116
Haffar 117
Haffar 118
 Haffar 119

APPENDIX II
Haffar 120
Haffar 121
Haffar 122
Haffar 123
Haffar 124
Haffar 125
Haffar 126
Haffar 127
Haffar 128
Haffar 129
Haffar 130
Haffar 131
Haffar 132
Haffar 133
Haffar 134
Haffar 135
Haffar 136
Haffar 137
Haffar 138
Haffar 139
Haffar 140
 Haffar 141

APPENDIX III
Haffar 142
Haffar 143
 Haffar 144

APPENDIX IV
Haffar 145
 Haffar 146

APPENDIX V
Haffar 147
Haffar 148
Haffar 149
 Haffar 150

APPENDIX VI
Haffar 151
 Haffar 152

APPENDIX VII
 Haffar 153

The testimony as taken from original source, IOM:

L., a 20 year old young woman, was engaged before her departure for Dubai. She comes from a
middleclass family and stopped her studies in order to follow a beautician training course. One of
her Tunisian friends, who had lived some time in Dubai before returning to Tunisia, praised the
economic opportunities there. She said she knew a woman who worked with her brother in the
labor migration of Tunisians to Dubai. L. then gets into contact with this woman who reassures
her and her fiancé, on the seriousness of the job offer in a beauty center. Recruitment criteria are
physical beauty and being young. The visa and contract of L. are quickly prepared. The contract
states that she will work in a beauty salon owned by the woman in question. She does not
advance any travel expenses. These will be deducted from the salary she receives in Dubai. L. left
Tunisia in November 2012. Upon arrival, she is received by a Syrian man. He allows her to use
his phone to contact her fiancé. She tells the latter she was taken to a house hosting Tunisian,
Moroccan and Algerian women and not into a hotel, as originally intended. For some time, L.
remains unemployed. They were preparing her papers and her badge, she explains to her fiancé.
Time goes by and L. no longer answers her boyfriend when he calls at night. The few times she
picked up the phone, it was after 3am when she was drunk. However, L. did not drink alcohol
before leaving for Dubai. L. told him that she worked from 22pm to 03am, with a break at
midnight. It was difficult, according to her fiancé, to know whether she consented or not to
exercise that activity at night. Worried, the fiancé of L. called the woman who hired L. asking for
explanations. She said that alcohol was prohibited at the workplace of L., and that it was not her,
but the man who employed her. Later, L. called her boyfriend at night, drunk and crying, telling
him about humiliating working conditions. Her calls are interrupted and she is still under control.
She was able to talk to him three times in three months. It is forbidden for women to go out, call
or use Internet telephony (Skype). The fiancé of L. contacted her employer, without success.
They eventually got back to him via Facebook and suggested that he should recruit beautiful
young women between 20 and 28 in Tunisia for 100 dinars per head (50 Euros). In just three
weeks, the network could have recruited 28 women. Some young women working with L.
returned to Tunisia on February 10th, while some others were transported to Turkey. He learnt
that his fiancée was in Lebanon. He learned that the contract signed by L. was falsified and in
 Haffar 154

English, misunderstood by his fiancée. L. was supposed to come back with the others, at the end
of her contract, but her employer decided differently. As of February 12, he could no longer get in
touch with his fiancée. L. was detained by Tunisian authorities upon her return to Tunisia. In this
case, all the elements are present to conclude, a priori, to a case of trafficking into sexual
exploitation. L. was recruited and transferred from one country to another on the basis of
deception about the nature and conditions of the work. Her movements and external
communications were monitored. She was housed with women of different nationalities in one
place, with the presence of alcohol as a means of control used by traffickers to enslave their
victims. The fact that L. could earn money does not change her status as alleged victim. In order
not to disturb the families and relatives of their victims, but also for better control, traffickers
sometimes offer to pay them. This salary doesn’t make them any lesser victims of trafficking.
Upon her return from Lebanon, L. was arrested for illegal prostitution and considered a criminal.
She may be convicted for an offense that she was probably forced to commit. She no longer has
the support of her fiancé and risks the rejection of her family if they discovered her activities.
Measures must be taken to sensitize police and Justice Officers, the Media and the general public,
to not re-victimize these young women by condemning or stigmatizing them.
 Haffar 155

APPENDIX VIII
 Haffar 156

The second testimony of Father David from Caritas NGO in Sfax- the original one as
provided by ATFD in French:

Je suis très heureux d’être invité par l’ATFD pour rendre témoignage sur la situation des
domestiques ivoiriennes ici à Sfax en Tunisie. Je dis merci à tous les membres de l’ATFD pour
cette belle occasion qui nous permet d’être la voix des sans voix, de celles qui sont confinées
dans les maisons et ne peuvent pas sortir par peur d’être violentées une fois encore par leurs
maîtres et maîtresses.
Ceci dit, ce que j’essaie d’exprimer ici est né de mon expérience d’écoute et d’observation
auprès de celles que nous appelons « petites bonnes ivoiriennes». C’est plus un partage qu’un
texte scientifique !

Le P. David préside l’enterrement d’un migrant au cimétière chrétien de Sfax.

Ces derniers mois j’ai reçu six coups de fil de six filles différentes, sans compter celles et ceux
qui contactent mes autres confrères, car le phénomène touche aussi les garçons. Comme c’est un
témoignage, je me borne sur ce qui me concerne.

Elles m’appellent et on se donne rendez-vous soit à la paroisse soit au 52 (c’est ainsi que
beaucoup appellent le presbytère car l’adresse est 52 Av. Taieb Mehiri).

Les histoires de celles que j’ai rencontrées différent rarement : elles sont ivoiriennes et plus
précisément d’Abidjan, elles portent des prénoms chrétiens et sont arrivées ici par un réseau qui
semble très organisé. Le mode opératoire aussi varie peu, et celui qui revient souvent est le
suivant : la fille va à la plage de Grand Bassam, un garçon l’aborde, dépense sans compter et
finalement ne demande rien en échange. Une à deux semaines plus tard, il appelle la fille et lui
fait savoir qu’il a besoin de son aide. Il a un frère en Italie qui est un homme d’affaires, il voyage
beaucoup et il a besoin de quelqu’un de confiance pour surveiller de près ses affaires ; il a pensé à
elle car elle a l’air sérieuse. Il est prêt à payer son billet d’avion d’Abidjan-Tunis, car elle n’a pas
besoin de visa pour rentrer en Tunisie. Mais elle doit contribuer par la modeste somme de cent
mille francs CFA ( environ 155 €). Dès qu’elle arrive en Tunisie, un autre frère sera là et se
 Haffar 157

chargera d’organiser le reste du voyage.

La fille se laisse emballer et c’est le début d’un voyage en enfer : arrivée à Tunis, quelqu’un
l’attend à l’aéroport ; dès l’aéroport l’escroc récupère tout ce qu’elle a sur elle comme argent . Il
l’a conduit dans un appartement où elle trouve d’autres filles entassées. Toutes espèrent un jour
regagner l’Europe. Mais pour cela il faut de l’argent. C’est la raison que le démarcheur avance
pour les plonger dans toutes sortes de trafic : prostitution, serveuses dans un café, bonne dans un
foyer etc.

Pour celles qui sont envoyées dans une famille sfaxienne le démarcheur leur fait savoir que c’est
lui qui a payé son billet d’avion et il réclame 5 mois d’avance sur le travail que va effectuer la
fille. La fille est payée entre 450 et 500 Dinars tunisiens, soit entre 225 et 250 € le mois. S’il
prend 5 mois de salaire cela lui fait soit 1125 € ou 1250 €. Or, un billet d’avion Abidjan-Tunis
aller/retour dépasse rarement les 600 € ! A cela il faut ajouter tout l’argent récupéré sur elle à
l’aéroport qui est souvent la cotisation de la famille, fruit de la vente du terrain de tel frère ou
oncle pour l’aider à atteindre l’Eldorado.

Le pire c’est le travail que la fille doit effectuer pour rembourser cet argent empoché par le
démarcheur : Elle est la première à se lever dans la maison et la dernière à se coucher et la plupart
du temps ce sont de grandes maisons, en plus avec 2 à 3 voitures une pour madame, l’autre pour
monsieur et la troisième pour conduire les enfants à l’école et c’est la pauvre qui doit se lever tôt
pour laver ces voitures, arroser le jardin, nettoyer la maison, préparer les enfants pour l’école.
Elle travaille entre 14h et 16h par jour. Ce qui fait que la plupart d’entre elles, au bout des 5 mois
elles sont fatiguées, pour ne pas dire fanées et demandent à partir d’elles-mêmes avec zéro dinar :
elle a travaillé pour un autre. Partir d’accord, mais où aller ? Retour à la case de départ. Soit elle
retourne chez son démarcheur et là elle est exposée à tous les chantages ou bien elle trouve une
autre famille et recommence le même travail avec le même calvaire car elle est exposée à toutes
sortes de violences : physiques, sexuel, psychologique.

En 2013, l’une d’entre elles était décédée : il n’y avait pas de chauffage dans sa chambre et pour
se chauffer elle a allumée le charbon de bois et le lendemain on a trouvé son corps sans vie.

Au mois de mars 2014, je suis allé visiter une autre fille hospitalisée à Sfax et souffrant
gravement du VIH avec un enfant de trois ans en charge.

Malgré tout cela les familles en Côte-d’Ivoire continuent de croire au miracle et envoient de
 Haffar 158

l’argent pour ces filles afin d’aller au bout de leur objectif : l’Europe. Par exemple : cette année
en quelques mois, j’ai reçu des virements successivement de 800, 550 et 525 DT pour trois filles
de la part de leurs familles pour qu’elles continuent leurs voyages et ce ne sont pas des familles
aisées. La plupart, pour envoyer ces sommes, sont obligés de vendre terrains et produits
agricoles pour soutenir leur fille : véritable investissement dans le vide.

Toute tentative que nous avons menée pour encourager les filles à retourner au pays a été vaine.
Elles perçoivent leur retour comme un échec et préfèrent traîner les pieds ici et s’exposer à tous
les dangers.
 Haffar 159

APPENDIX IX
 Haffar 160

Third Testimony of a Malian victim as originally taken from Amal NGO:

This is a presentation of a case of a young African victim of trafficking into domestic servitude.
K. is a young Malian who initially suffered a border smuggling network. In fact, the network
promised to help her cross borders to settle in a country of Europe. But they convinced her that
before they reach Europe, they will pass through Tunisia first where she should work as a
hairdresser in a beauty salon with a formal contract. To be able to cover the expenses of her
movement from Mali to Tunisia and then to Europe. Upon her arrival to the Tunisian land, K.
found herself at a wealthy family, her papers were confiscated by the recruiter and she was not
allowed to go out or to leave. She worked day and night without stopping. This situation went on
for months, until the time when she was spotted by a member of the church who helped her to
contact the authorities concerned.
 Haffar 161

APPENDIX X