Romdhane Ben Amor, a committed activist and spokesperson for the human rights organisation FTDES , paints a turbulent and challenging picture of his country with respect of its treatment of foreigners fleeing conflict or poverty.
By Marina Vidal (edited by Rogerio Simoes)
The year was 2008. In Redeyef, the Tunisian South-Western town Romdhane Ben Amor comes from, a social movement against the Ben Ali regime started to spring. Back then, the longtime dictator had been in power for two decades and the Tunisian Revolution was still an idea, three years away from succeeding in ousting Ben Ali.
“The movement was repressed by the Tunisian state, the Ben Ali regime. Some young people died, and hundreds or more were imprisoned,” recalls the activist. “During that period, I was attending many events and I also started blogging. At one of those events in 2008, I got to know the founding members of FTDES, who were there as activists, human rights defenders, trade unionists.”
In the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), Romdhane found an ideological match, and it wasn’t long before they all started working together. “Then came the revolution, they set up the forum, and I was invited to join them as a member.”
Even though he initially worked on communication issues and protest movements, with time Romdhane became more and more interested in migration topics and started focusing his work on the country’s changing reality in terms of demography. “I am now continuing my studies as a demography researcher, and the reason I chose this topic is because of the way it intersects with the migration issue.”
But the migration topic in Tunisia is not an easy one to study or work with, even more so in recent times. In the 15 years since Romdhane first started his activism, Tunisia has witnessed different scenarios in terms of migration, shifting from a country of origin to a land of passage.
“The country has been transformed since 2020. A lot of factors have contributed to this transformation, and there have been many changes. There’s the external factor, which is more to do with the dynamics of migration and European policies, which have led to the closing of the eastern route, or the route through Libya, and have indirectly pushed migrants to seek other routes like Tunisia,” he explains. “But there are also internal factors, linked to Tunisia’s political, economic, and social crisis.”
Being active on the field has showed Romdhane how Tunisians themselves are also directly influencing the situation. “Tunisians, of course, are also making a major contribution, especially through the creation of these networks of smugglers. It’s an informal economy that has affected the most disadvantaged, the most marginalised people, that is to say, the border with Algeria, the border with Libya, and the rural areas. Even the Sfax region.”
“There´s also the policy of President Kaïs Saied, who has created a climate of hatred against migrants. Migrants used to take the time they needed to prepare their migration plans, but Kaïs Saied’s actions have led thousands of them to try to leave Tunisia as quickly as possible, whatever the conditions.” Ever since the leader’s infamous speech in February 2023, in which he referred to the migrants’ situation as “unnatural” and made xenophobic and racist comments, navigating the terrain of migration advocacy has become increasingly arduous.
Fear of reprimand
During the day, Romdhane works as a primary school teacher, and at night, or any spare hour he gets, he contributes to FTDES’ work by reading, writing, attending meetings, or coordinating the different departments in the organisation. “With my other occupation, it was already hard for me to dedicate time to it, but things are starting to get difficult in Tunisia, to work on migration… Everything changed, especially after the president’s racist speech.”
As a spokesperson for FTDES, Romdhane used to be able to talk about social, civic, and environmental issues without fear of reprimand. Not anymore. “We were also critical of state policies, of the various governments, but we were never subjected to pressure or attacks. Things are different in Tunisia now.”
He says the collaboration between his country and the European Union is failing to help manage Tunisia’s situation and, potentially, even intensifying the problem. “There is a lack of transparency, which is also a strategic choice by the Tunisian state to not talk about cooperation projects related to externalising borders. […] And also on the part of European, French or Italian authorities, there is not enough communication, especially on the security aspect and the resources that are made available for Tunisia to use.”
On the other hand, and partially as a result of the externalisation and the policies adopted by the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior, organisations say that violations of people´s rights in the country have been increasing every day. “We´ve seen migrants being deprived of their rights; they don’t have the right to work, the right to accommodation”
Whether it be directed to refugees, asylum seekers, students, or migrant workers, Romdhane sees examples of this violation on a daily basis. “Now we see migrants and refugees grouped together in public spaces. In Tunis, in front of the Tunisian agencies, or in a public garden in front of the UNHCR offices. In the Sfax region, they gather under olive trees, forcibly evacuated from the town, and pushed around by the National Guard. The south of Tunisia, a place surrounded by sea on three sides, has turned into a sort of detention camp peninsula.”
Romdhane Ben Amor’s words paint a turbulent picture of Tunisia, an image he hopes to change by continuously advocating for the rights of those who are maginalised by society and do not have a voice in his country. To him, working with FTDES is a means to that end.
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About FTDES: The Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (in French Forum Tunsien pour les Droits Economiques et Sociaux – FTDES) is a Tunisian organisation founded in 2011 to fight for people’s economic and social rights at the national and international level. FTDES is working on the following themes: labour rights, women’s rights, environmental rights, and migrant rights.
This article is part of the special series “Tunisia – Land of Passage”, produced by Specto Media and aidóni. Listen to the podcast here.
