Failure of International Human Rights mechanisms in providing adequate protection for women

The MENA region witnessed rapid transformations as a result of the popular uprisings which have not yet achieved their goals in most countries. Instead, they have been transformed into internal or regional armed conflicts sponsored by powers that provide local clients with armaments and financial support. As usual, women have paid – and continue to pay – the highest price for these developments. They have been repressed, killed, dispossessed, raped and subjected to all forms of violence including being sold on the auctioneer’s block. The events uncovered the fragility of national, regional and international political structures and the significant failure of legal mechanisms including constitutions, legal provisions, treaties and declarations at the national, regional and international levels. Both these mechanisms and the political systems have together failed to provide a modicum of protection for the most vulnerable sectors of society. The events have also been a major blow to the great efforts of civil society actors committed to human rights and demanding their implementation. In this context, we want to highlight the need for starting to search for new mechanisms and tools, or to develop existing ones, that may enhance the prevention of women’s human rights violations, regardless of who commits them.