CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE fixed domicile and that family violence is one of the recurring reasons for abandoning the family home. 7 In certain wilayas, citizens have also noted the failure to provide for the care and protection of women who have been the victims of violence, as well as the absence of shelter, psychological support, assistance and accompanying legal and judicial support. These failures are due to perceptions, which are not unique to Algerian society, but are found almost everywhere. Indeed, the natural rights and freedoms of women are not always assimilated to human rights in private life, and continue to be infringed with impunity because their violation takes place within the family at the hands of members of the family. Women nonetheless experience these as attacks on their dignity and integrity, in the same way they experience other attacks on their human rights. 328. Apart from the aggression experienced by a certain number of women on a daily basis, the CRM cannot remain silent on the violation of women during conflict. Many of these women have not been rehabilitated in terms of their rights because of the absence of judicial reparation. Some people drew the CRM‟s attention to the tragedies of these victims and their families. As was reported in the book published by the Rachda Association, the “public authorities, but also large sections of society, show themselves to be reticent in directly confronting the phenomenon of rape committed by the Islamist integrationists … It is clear that this abandons the victims to shame, social ostracism and impotence, which is intolerable, not only for them and their families, but also for the entire community as the community is affected” 8 The responsible associations demand, in addition to medical, psychological and social care for the victims, judicial reparation, which does not appear to have been made. In such circumstances, the problem of reparation is a political matter that calls for acknowledgement of the crime, public identification of the perpetrators, and their moral and judicial condemnation. 329. In relation to the effective exercise of rights, the de jure and de facto situations of women are not the same. Women do not always enjoy the human rights afforded them by law. Implementation of the provisions of the Family Code and other legislation protecting women appears to come up against resistance among judicial and extrajudicial players. Stakeholders in the wilayas drew attention to this aspect, stating that, because of the partiality and misogyny of certain professionals in the legal and police system, many women encountered problems in the exercise and enjoyment of their rights. It is important to note that, even if women do have a presence in the police corps, they only represent a small proportion of its numbers. The poor representation of women within these institutions provides a partial explanation for this situation and their greater presence would certainly make a difference. Mr Ali Tounsi, DirectorGeneral of National Security, met with the CRM during a ceremony organised on 7 March 2007 to mark the occasion of International Women‟s Day, and communicated his intention to integrate a larger number of women in the 7 8 El Watan, 8 March 2007. Time of rape and terrorism, Rachda, p. 111. 108

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