Libya
Libya
Years after the deposition of dictator Moammar Gadhafi as part of the Arab Spring, Libya remains in a deteriorating security situation that is especially volatile for women. Sexual and gender-based violence during the war, including mass rape, has yet to be investigated, and women’s rights have continued to decline as different Islamic groups strive to curtail freedoms throughout the country. Violence against women remains common, but reporting remains low; like political and civic participation, reporting and activism by women remains deterred due to threats of violence or death.
Since 2011, Libya has passed new laws which discriminate against women, including the legalization of polygamy and quota reductions for women’s representation in Parliament. Although a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Libya does not have a National Action Plan per resolution 1325 (2000).
Due to the high rates of discrimination, exclusion and violence faced by women in Libya, the NGOWG advocates for the Security Council to continue supporting the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to include women as full and equal partners in supporting the transition of power to the Government of National Accord, which has struggled to establish legitimacy and control. Without the inclusion of women, the new government will face greater challenges to creating sustainable peace in Libya and continue exposing Libyan women to extreme risk of violence.
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
Libya (September 2018)
In its renewal of the mandate for the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), all current WPS-related provisions should be maintained. The Council should add additional provisions that require UNSMIL to prioritize all activities related to the protection and promotion of women’s rights and support for active participation in political processes as fundamental to ensuring long-term sustainable peace. The report and any briefings should provide information on the implementation of WPS provisions in UNSMIL’s mandate (S/RES/2376 (2017), OP 4), as well as UNSMIL’s Action Plan for Libya. The Security Council should acknowledge that while the latter has helped revive the political process, re-establish the UN in Tripoli and hold long-awaited elections in Zawiya, it has failed to ensure gender parity in its consultative phase. In fact, less than 25% of participants were women. The Security Council should take this opportunity to reiterate that UNSMIL and the Presidential Council should ensure the inclusion of women in all peace and security processes, and that upcoming National Conference and elections have to provide women with the same opportunities to substantively engage in and impact all phases of these processes from consultation to implementation to monitoring and evaluation to reporting. Updates should be provided regarding UNSMIL’s efforts to support the Government in preventing arbitrary detention of women and girls as well as improving the deteriorating conditions of the women’s prison as reported from the last Secretary-General report (S/2018/429). The Council should ensure investigation and monitoring of these violations and equally address the needs of survivors of SGBV by including new provisions in UNSMIL’s mandate which call for the mission to ensure the safety, dignity and long-term needs of survivors and their families including by supporting CSOs in their efforts. Moreover, the Security Council should address the increasing security and political pressure from Libyan authorities against women HRDs and CSOs who are at risk of persecution due to partnerships with international organizations, by calling on the Government to protect CSOs and HRDs and support their work.
Relevant Resources
