Bachelet praises Tunisia gender equal inheritance rights
Bachelet |
UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has said the Tunisian cabinet’s approval of a
draft law that provides for equal inheritance rights for women is a significant
step towards gender equality in the country, and sets an example for the
region.
The Council of Ministers in
Tunisia on Friday decided to send a draft law to parliament that would give
male and female heirs equality, unless the deceased person had registered an
explicit objection before a bailiff during his or her lifetime.
“I warmly welcome this
significant move to secure equal rights for women and men in Tunisia,” Bachelet
said.
“In many ways, Tunisia sets an
example for other countries in the region. Over the past few years, we have
seen the Tunisian parliament reform a number of laws to bring them in line with
the commitment to human rights, equality and non-discrimination enshrined in
its Constitution and its ratification of international human rights treaties.”
She cited World Bank data from
2018 indicating that in 36 out of 189 economies, widows are not granted the
same inheritance rights as widowers. In 39 economies, daughters are prevented
from inheriting the same proportion of assets as sons.
“Unequal inheritance rights can
mean that women are left even more vulnerable in an already difficult phase of
their lives, following the loss of a loved one,” she said. “It can leave them
exposed to dependence on the goodwill of male relatives and limits their
ability to make decisions for themselves and their family.”
“To grant women equal inheritance
rights is to empower them and to ensure protection of their economic and social
rights.”
The UN Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women has recommended that states, parties
provide “explicit constitutional protection for formal and substantive equality
and non-discrimination in the public and private spheres, including all matters
of personal status, family, marriage and inheritance law, and across all areas
of law."
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