Maghreb conference on women's presence in labour unions and civil society structures

A Maghreb conference on the presence of women in labour unions and civil society structures started Monday in Tunis.The gathering was an opportunity to highlight the major actions Maghreb and Arab women had carried out to establish effective gender equality and to look at difficulties of this process.Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Workers Union Abdelmajid Sahraoui pointed out that women's membership in labour union structures and their participation in public life are still far below their expectations.For her part, Co-ordinator of the Maghreb Women Commission Torkia Ben Khedhr underscored that the Tunisian Revolution should constitute an awakening to strengthen women's rights and consolidate their role in civil society and in labour union structures, calling to reinforce solidarity among Maghreb women to boost the Arab Maghreb institutions' action.Mr. Abdessalem Jrad, Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) and of the Arab Maghreb Workers Labour Union, said that Maghreb women had demonstrated their competence within union structures and fought for their political and socio-economic rights.The agenda of this three-day Maghreb conference includes several papers on Maghreb  women activists' participation in social and political life and means to consolidate their role in public life.A meeting of women experts tasked with conducting a Maghreb survey on Maghreb women's associational and union participation, is held on the fringes of this event.This meeting is held by the Arab Maghreb Workers' Labour Union in association with the Spanish "Peace and Solidarity" organisation.