President Moncef Marzouki and Minister of Women’s Affairs Sihem Badi inaugurated yesterday Tunisia’s first shelter for female victims of violence in Sidi Thabet, outside Tunis.

The shelter, a pilot project, will provide legal and psychological assistance for women.

Badi, joined by representatives of several civil society groups, said the project is part of the ministry’s efforts to join the national fight against all forms of violence against women.

“It has been 10 years now that we call for the establishment of such center, but it is an important step towards achieving women’s rights, and we hope that the government opens other centers to host women, who were victims to violence,” said Halima Jouini, a member of the Tunisian League of Human Rights.

In one of the first nation-wide surveys on the subject, the state-run Tunisian National Board for Family and Population found that about 50% of Tunisian women still experience some form of domestic violence, including physical, psychological, sexual, and economic.

“It is necessary that the establishment put an end to such phenomena,” said a UN Women representative to Tunisia.

Speaking at the inauguration, Marzouki affirmed the importance of protecting women’s rights, socially and economically, in Tunisia.