Tunis/Tunisia — Aswat Nissa called for securing women's political rights and their actual access to decision-making positions as Tunisia is marking Sunday National Women's Day.

Women activists also need to be protected against violence and intended exclusion. Laws to end violence against women, formalise domestic work and guarantee the social and economic laws of female farmhands need to be enforced seriously, the civil society organisation further said.

Aswat Nissa said it is committed to the undivided rights of women and the full-fledged equality between men and women. Emphasis was likewise laid on the need not to roll back on rights and freedoms.

Tunisian women have been relentlessly fighting for their rights. Women's representation in predominantly male municipal councils declined, hindering real equality. Poverty and marginalisation also become rampant among women, particularly farmhands.

This adds to such woes as higher unemployment rates among women and poor healthcare and reproductive healthcare services.

Higher feminicide rates were reported with 23 killings so far, including 61% committed by partners.