Under the policy, all women and girls are required to fill an information form providing personal information, reasons and previous history of traveling without a male guardian. Those who refused to complete or submit the form were refused exit.
“Not only is this policy exclusive, but it also restricts the freedom of movement of women and girls, including students who leave the country to study abroad,” experts said in a statement.
The rights defenders intimidated
The experts expressed their deep concern about the negative impact of the discriminatory policy on the basic rights and freedom of women and girls “in contradiction with the international and national agreements of Libya on non-discrimination, equality and the right to privacy.”
They are also concerned about reported attempts by the Libyan Internal Security Agency (ISA) to intimidate human rights defenders, including women, who have spoken out against these policies.
Appeal to the authorities
The experts urged the authorities to remove this discriminatory requirement, and to avoid all terror, harassment and attacks against women and human rights defenders who have protested against the policy.
“The restriction is a sign of further degradation of the rights of women and girls in Libya and sends the wrong signal,” they said. “Women’s equality and dignity must be guaranteed.”
The experts who issued the statement were appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
They are not UN staff and are not paid for their work.
