Women in Libya continue to be underrepresented, both in public life and in the government. Out of the 188 members in the Libyan House of Representatives, only 20 women were elected. Meanwhile, among the 35 ministers who were appointed in March 2021 by the Government of National Unity, only five were women. This situation worsened in March this year, with only two women ministers in the new incoming government recently approved by the Libyan parliament.
Coupled with obstacles in the democratic transition process in post-conflict Libya and the apparent inequality in the government, women continue to face discrimination and systematic violence. Prominent female activists and politicians are regularly subject to threats, abductions, and violent attacks. In July 2019, Representative Sihem Sergiwa was kidnapped and has been missing since then. Meanwhile in November 2020, Hanan Al Barassi, a human rights lawyer was murdered in Benghazi. Most recently, an attempt to assassinate Minister of Justice Halima Al Busifi in Tripoli occurred in January this year.
In this new report, DRI assessed gender-based violence against women politicians in Libya in the online sphere through social media monitoring. This report was published as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) funded project “Firmer Ground for Advancing Women’s Participation in Libya” from October 2021 until May 2022.
Download the report below, available in English and Arabic.
