End the restrictions on women’s freedom of movement in Libya
Karama has joined dozens of rights groups and activists in condemning discriminatory restrictions placed on women’s freedom of movement in Libya.
Libya’s national unity government has implemented new policies that mean solo women travelers must provide information to authorities. The statement declares that this policy is a violation of Libyan women’s constitutional rights, and calls for the immediate repeal of the decision.
Statement as follows:
Violating women's right to freedom of movement is an insult to Libyan women and a contravention of the constitution and law
Statement on discriminatory measures restricting women's travel in Libya
13 May 2023:
We, the undersigned activists and civil society organizations, express our strong condemnation of the discriminatory measures imposed by the Internal Security Agency of Libya’s National Unity Government on women’s freedom of movement.
These discriminatory measures mean that every Libyan woman traveling alone is required to complete an official declaration providing: her reasons for travel, an explanation of why she is traveling alone, and details of her travel history.
This procedure constitutes a violation of women's constitutional right to freedom of movement.
As we look forward to the effective participation of Libyan women in the upcoming national elections, this regressive policy represents policymaking based on discrimination, violence, and persecution against women, reinforcing the dominance and repression of the security system over the country.
This discriminatory measure violates the principle of equality enshrined in the Temporary Constitutional Declaration of 2011 (Article 6, Article 14) and Article 31 of the Political Agreement. It is also in conflict with Libyan legislation that guarantees women's right to movement and travel as full citizens with all the guarantees of citizenship. Moreover, this measure constitutes a grave violation of all international covenants and agreements on human and women's rights that Libya has ratified, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and other binding international standards protecting the rights of "equality, freedom of movement, residence, and travel."
In this context, we signatories condemn the specious arguments put forward by some female members of the House of Representatives in written statements justifying the measures in terms of supposed vulnerability and susceptibility of women to becoming victims of fraud and the exceptional circumstances the country is going through. As the country prepares for an upcoming election under delicate circumstances, there is an urgent need to create suitable conditions for free and fair elections, ensuring the basic rights of all individuals, including the right to freedom of movement, travel, and peaceful assembly. This is to renew political legitimacy, achieve the desired stability, and begin building a state of institutions and the law, based on the rights of citizenship and non-discrimination.
We demand that the National Unity government immediately repeal this discriminatory decision, which humiliates Libyan women and represents a regression and violation of the basic rights and freedoms guaranteed constitutionally, legally, and internationally, and ensure the adoption of measures that preserve national security and safeguard the dignity of Libyan women.
We, the undersigned activists and civil society organizations, express our strong condemnation of the discriminatory measures imposed by the Internal Security Agency of Libya’s National Unity Government on women’s freedom of movement.
These discriminatory measures mean that every Libyan woman traveling alone is required to complete an official declaration providing: her reasons for travel, an explanation of why she is traveling alone, and details of her travel history.
This procedure constitutes a violation of women's constitutional right to freedom of movement.
As we look forward to the effective participation of Libyan women in the upcoming national elections, this regressive policy represents policymaking based on discrimination, violence, and persecution against women, reinforcing the dominance and repression of the security system over the country.
This discriminatory measure violates the principle of equality enshrined in the Temporary Constitutional Declaration of 2011 (Article 6, Article 14) and Article 31 of the Political Agreement. It is also in conflict with Libyan legislation that guarantees women's right to movement and travel as full citizens with all the guarantees of citizenship. Moreover, this measure constitutes a grave violation of all international covenants and agreements on human and women's rights that Libya has ratified, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and other binding international standards protecting the rights of "equality, freedom of movement, residence, and travel."
In this context, we signatories condemn the specious arguments put forward by some female members of the House of Representatives in written statements justifying the measures in terms of supposed vulnerability and susceptibility of women to becoming victims of fraud and the exceptional circumstances the country is going through. As the country prepares for an upcoming election under delicate circumstances, there is an urgent need to create suitable conditions for free and fair elections, ensuring the basic rights of all individuals, including the right to freedom of movement, travel, and peaceful assembly. This is to renew political legitimacy, achieve the desired stability, and begin building a state of institutions and the law, based on the rights of citizenship and non-discrimination.
We demand that the National Unity government immediately repeal this discriminatory decision, which humiliates Libyan women and represents a regression and violation of the basic rights and freedoms guaranteed constitutionally, legally, and internationally, and ensure the adoption of measures that preserve national security and safeguard the dignity of Libyan women.