Between 27 and 29 December 2011 a delegation of the EMHRN travelled through the governorates of Medenine and Tataouine to assess the evolution of the associative life in the south of Tunisia and analyse the needs of associations there.
The first day, the delegation visited Ben Guerdane (South-east of Tunisia) and met the director of the Cultural Centre of the city and the representatives of several local associations (1 – Association for Development and Human Rights 2 – Association “Support” for unemployed university graduates; 3 – Association “Sanabel”, 4 – Association of identity and authenticity; 5 – Association dignity and work 6 – Association “Atta” 7-Association ” Bridges “, 8 – Association of mercy; 9 – Association of Philosophy.
The EMHRN has found that the Cultural Centre plays the role of coordination between the associations at the level of information and of provision of facilities for activities that they organise.The second day spent in Medenine allowed the EMHRN to deepen the knowledge on the issues that marked the community life in the area, especially migration. And this for two main reasons:
- during the Libyan Revolution the area witnessed the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants of different nationalities
- Thousands of young people from this region have migrated to the north of the Mediterranean Sea (especially to Italy: Lampedusa).
The associations met in Medenine are: 1 – Society “ATHIR”, 2 – Assembly ‘fans of the scene’, 3 – Association “Visions”, 4 – Club Medenine of amateur filmmakers, 5 – Society “forum”, 6 – Association “Father”
The delegation spent the third day in Tataouine where many associations are located in the House of the people (former house of RCD). This allowed several associations to begin to work and facilitated exchanges between them. The EMHRN noticed effervescence in the associative life in Tataouine, where associations are working on very diverse topics going from the right to work until child protection, going through cultural rights, the right of expression and the monitoring of the situation of human rights at the regional level.
A round table was held in Tataouine with the following associations: Association “Citizenship: rights and duties”; Feminine Association “Nour”; Association “YOSSR”, Association for the development prospects; Cultural Association “DOUROUB”, Regional Union of unemployed graduates, Association “ILéf”.
The conclusions that the delegation of the EMHRN could draw from this visit are:
- Even with very limited resources, many new associations started working for the promotion of human rights in the region
- The members of the associations showed a great willingness to engage but they lack the expertise to ensure the success of associative action
- Associations are aware of their limits and seek to benefit from trainings and other activities to build their capacities
- Local associations are open to working in partnership with the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network and asked that the EMHRN helps them to get in touch with the other associative actors that could support the actions of associations in the South.