Professor Hafidha Chekir is a pioneering feminist, labor activist and a human rights defender from Tunisia. At the national level, she co-founded the Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates and the Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche sur le Développement, two historic feminist organizations in Tunisia. Aware of the role of law as a tool for promoting equality and justice, she has led several nationwide advocacy campaigns: modification of the Personal Status Code, adoption of a law against violence against women, regulation of the situation of domestic workers, particularly women and migrants).
As a woman in a patriarchal society, as a free woman under an authoritarian regime, as a disabled woman in a country that abandons these people, Hafidha Chekir has shown different generations that it is possible to overcome these pitfalls and raise a voice for the rights and freedoms of all.
– Saif Thairi, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Tunisia
In 2011, as a member of the High Authority for the Achievement of the Goals of the Revolution, she succeeded in enshrining the principle of gender parity in elections, as well as freedom of association and expression. At the regional and international levels, Professor Chekir has led various advocacy campaigns, notably at the International Conference on Human Rights (Vienna, 1993), the International Conference on Population and Development (ICDP) in 1994, and the World Conference on Women, known as the “Beijing Conference” in 1995.
“Recognizing Professor Chekir’s activism is tantamount to supporting all civil society actors in Tunisia and activists in their relentless pursuit of equality, justice, and freedoms.” – Khedija Cherif, International Federation for Human Rights, Tunisia
With her expertise in international legal procedures, Professor Chekir actively participated in the campaign for Tunisia’s ratification of CEDAW and continued her advocacy until all reservations to CEDAW were lifted in 2011. Beyond her 40 years of training young activists in human rights, women’s rights and equality, the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities and migrants, she continues to fight for the rule of law, equality, justice and freedoms for all, reflecting her intersectional vision of all struggles.
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