The MENA region is witnessing an alarming increase in gender-based violence (GBV), exacerbated by a growing anti-gender backlash that further marginalises women and LGBTQA+ communities. With gender parity scores of only 62.6% , the region continues to exhibit a persistent and significant gap in equality.
The undersigned organizations express their deep concern over these ongoing violations of gender rights, particularly those targeting women and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Since 2012, gender policies In Türkiye have become increasingly intertwined with “family values”. The country’s decision to withdraw from the “Istanbul Convention” in 2021 marked a clear regression, justified by anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and “family-first” discourse. This was further solidified by the government’s 2025 declaration of the “Year of the Family” as part of a long-term effort to frame LGBTQI+ community existence as a threat to national morality and sovereignty. Although Türkiye was the first country to ratify Istanbul convention on the 11 of May 2011, it was also the first to withdraw from it later in July 2021. Such a step did not happen randomly , However, this development was preceded by the rise of systemic, organized, pro-government movements and NGOs—emerging from 2015 onward—that were predominantly patriarchal, advocating for men’s rights and engaging in hate speech against women in Türkiye, such as the “Divorced Fathers” movement. Turkey is reportedly preparing, provisions in the 11th Judicial Package draft, coordinated by the Ministry of Justice, targeting the rights and existence of LGBTQI+ individuals and the draft is expected to be tabled soon to the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.
Although there are no laws explicitly banning homosexuality in Egypt, the state employs a form of the moralistic authoritarianism that frames dissent and diversity as threats to national security and social cohesion, where the ideal citizen is hetero, and male. Under President El-Sisi, digital repression intensified. Social media users, particularly women content creators on TikTok, — have been prosecuted for “violating family values”, where more than 151 individuals have faced charges of violating Egyptian family values in at least 109 different cases. The government amended criminal laws to increase penalties for violence against women but ignored marital rape and other forms of gendered violence, reinforcing the state’s control over “family morality.” Feminist and LGBTQI+ movements in Egypt are deliberately fragmented by the state to prevent coalition-building. Egypt’s UPR responses on “gender equality” exclude LGBTQI+ issues altogether, limiting gender to a binary concept.
Lebanon from another side has ratified most international conventions, including CEDAW, yet it continues to uphold deeply discriminatory laws, such as, but not limited to, article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which has historically been used to criminalise “unnatural intercourse” . Its enforcement often depends on individual judges’ interpretations rather than consistent legal precedent. Between 2014 and 2019, advocacy campaigns on article 534 gained support from nine MPs, yet that wasn’t enough to repeal the article. Political leaders initially pledged reform during election periods but later backed down under pressure from religious authorities.
These alarming trends underscore the urgent need for states in the MENA region to uphold their international human rights obligations and ensure full protection for women and LGBTQI+ individuals.
We, the Undersigned Organizations Call on the EU to:
- Hold the governments in the MENA region accountable and take necessary measures such as conditioning agreements and aid on measurable human rights commitments.
- Make sure to keep funding community-based initiatives, networks, groups, and digital activism, especially the ones in the MENA countries.
- Be aware and reject state-led “human rights washing” where governments promote superficial reforms, like gender quotas, while simultaneously maintaining a repressive environment, including against women and LGBTQI+ individuals.
Signatories:
- GALADER-(ANKARA GÖKKUŞAĞI AİLELERİ DERNEĞİ)
- İnsan Hakları Okulu Derneği (The School of Human Rights Association)
- ANKH Association
- The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).
- Kaos GL
- Human Rights Joint Platform
- Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH)
- Tadwein
- Proud Lebanon
- Helem
- Human Rights Association (IHD)