The 60-year-old victim died of burns to her body despite attempts to provide first aid to her, while the daughter is still undergoing treatment inside the hospital.
Al Arabiya.net – Monia Ghanmi
Published in: May 15, 2023: 02:00 AM GST
Last updated: May 15, 2023: 02:41 AM GST
On Sunday, public opinion in Tunisia was shaken by a murder in the town of Bouhajla, Kairouan Governorate, in which a woman was killed and burned to death by her husband, accompanied by her daughter, while they were sleeping, after he poured gasoline into their room and set it on fire.
According to the ongoing investigations, the victim (who is 60 years old) died of burns to her body despite attempts to provide first aid to her, while the daughter is still undergoing treatment in the hospital, while the husband was arrested after he surrendered to the security authorities and confessed to having committed the crime.
This incident comes a week after a similar crime in Sousse governorate, in which a 30-year-old pregnant woman was killed by her husband, after he killed her by suffocation due to a family dispute.
In response to this, the Ministry renewed its categorical rejection of all forms of violence against women and children, calling for the strict application of the provisions of Basic Law No. 58 of 2017 related to combating violence against women, strengthening the national network effort to contain the growing violence against women, girls and children, and redoubling the participatory and collective efforts made by institutions. The state, the components of civil society and the media sector to contain the spread of the culture of violence and address its causes and repercussions in a strategic and comprehensive manner.
The Ministry also confirmed that it is in the process of formulating new work and intervention mechanisms, regarding which consultation and coordination will be completed with all stakeholders and partners to strengthen national capacities in the field of prevention of violence against women and children, based on scientific and methodological indicators, accurate work, and an objective assessment of the relevant legislative and institutional frameworks.
Cases of killing wives by their husbands in Tunisia increased at a rate of almost more than one murder per month, in a way that almost turned into a phenomenon, which aroused community concern and preoccupied public opinion with the high and frequent rates of violence and cases of killing women, amid calls for intervention to reduce this.
