Tunisia: Scores of organizations condemn arbitrary arrests of Sub-Saharan migrants
Over twenty Tunisian and international organizations active in Tunisia, on Thursday, decried in a joint statement the human rights violations suffered by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, and called on the Tunisian authorities to combat hate speech, discrimination and racism against them and to take urgent action to guarantee the migrants’ dignity and rights.
The signatories firmly condemn the arbitrary arrests of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and call on the Tunisian government to honor its commitments to the implementation of international agreements on the rights of migrant workers and refugees, as well as the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CMW).
They express deep concern over the marginalization of the most vulnerable groups, in particular migrants in Tunisia, who have been suffering from social exclusion and poverty, deprived of access to decent and formal work and any source of income, and an administrative situation that worsens their suffering and forces them and their families to deal with challenges that can only be overcome by the government’s courageous action to help them.
The signatories demand the protection and guarantee of migrants’ rights and the respect of their dignity, considering that the Tunisian authorities must put an end to the exploitation they face at work.
According to the statement, taking these measures will also be beneficial to the Tunisian labor market, where migrants represent an innovative force capable of boosting the national economy if they are treated with fair laws and employment policies that respect human rights.
They reiterate in the statement their call to the Tunisian government to shoulder this historical responsibility and to exert all possible efforts to implement a regularization framework for migrants present on the Tunisian territory, responding to the various calls of the civil society and allaying the fears of national organizations that have been expressing them for years regarding the exploitation and vulnerability of non-regular workers in Tunisia.
Moreover, they underline the need to update and develop a legal framework on migration and asylum to comply with international standards, as well as to prioritize the launch of a national migration strategy that guarantees integration and the protection of rights.
According to the statement, in the last few days, more than 300 migrants were arrested, taken into custody and brought to court.
They were arrested following a “facial” identity check or even as a result of their presence in court in support of their relatives.
“At the same time, the Tunisian State is turning a deaf ear to the rise of hateful and racist discourse on social networks and in certain media, specifically targeting migrants from sub-Saharan Africa,” reads the statement.
Among the signatory organisations, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), the Tunisian League of Human Rights (LTDH), the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATDF), Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF), the Tunisian Association for the Defense of Individual Liberties (ADLI), the Tunisian Organization Against Torture (OTCT) and many others.
