Between Online Surveillance and Morality Police, Libyan Women Fight For Their Place in Public Life

For many, the internet has become a vehicle for inserting their experiences and opinions into public discourse and getting involved in local issues by expressing opinions they could not safely express in their daily lives.

In 2020, a study by UN Women found that online harassment was the highest reported type of violence against women in nine Arab countries, including Libya, where discriminatory laws are increasingly targeting women activists. The latest escalation of this trend, which systematically strips them of their human rights, is the proposed return of a Public Morality Protection Unit.

“The government of Libya, and their affiliated militias, have targeted women with murder and forced appearances, online harassment and online violence for their public activism,” Mohamed Elmessiry, legal advisor on Libya to theInternational Commission of Jurists, tells OkayAfrica.

Elmessiry headed the production of the report “‘We will not be silenced:’ Online Violence Against Women in Libya.” Conducted byLawyers for Justice in Libya, an independent non-governmental organization that works towards justice in Libya. The report details how women’s involvement in political discourse through social media, journalism, or legal work triggers incitement, which may lead to violence, forced disappearance and murder.

“Sometimes, online attacks are followed by physical attacks,” says Elmessiry. “For example, [Political activist and lawyer]Hanan Al-Barassi was attacked online for her outspoken opinions, and then she was killed.”

Politician and human rights activistSalwa Bugaighi was murdered after criticizing armed groups online and offline. Ahlam al-Yamany and Haneen al-Abdali werearrested in 2023 for social media posts that the authorities deemed “indecent” and “harmful to public morals” and have been detained since. The authorities provided no details about the objectionable content.

The investigations into these abductions and murders usually bear no results. “The judiciary isn’t powerful enough to stand in the face of powerful militias and perpetrators,” says Elmessiry.

According to Libya Review, past administrations have tried to enforce public morality, based on a certain understanding of Islamic religious values, through specialized units but were often met with limited success and resistance. This is a common phenomenon in Libya’s policing sector, where almost no institution is considered legitimate by all involved actors, due to political and tribal divides.

In the current climate of fear and repression, the reintroduction of the morality police would have severe consequences, exacerbated by the repressive structures established over the past decade. This force would be responsible for “enforcing society’s traditions” by monitoring people on the streets and targeting women and girls who do not adhere to strict dress codes, such as wearing a headscarf after the age of nine, as well as those who travel without the permission of a male guardian or socialize in public with men they aren’t related to.

Elmessiry lists discriminatory provisions and laws that Libyan women already have to contend with, such astravel restrictions, the option for a rapist to escape penalty by marrying his victim, or a man’s right to kill an unfaithful wife and be granted a reduced sentence.

“Women get questioned and stopped when traveling without a chaperone,” says Elmessiry. “This has led many to avoid traveling for training and events, affecting their progress and work.”

“Discrimination against women is already embedded in the Libyan legal system,” he continues.

“The Minister of Interior’s announcement on the reactivation of the morality police constitutes a clear violation of Libya’s obligations under international human rights law and standards, including UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.”

Violence against women has surged since 2011, when Muammar Gaddafi was assassinated, and Libya plunged into a political power struggle between two rival administrations. A misogynistic status quo that does not accept women’s equality existed beforehand but was exacerbated by a lack of state control and the incorporation of thousands of unvetted militias into security agencies.

The morality police have yet to officially take to the streets, and once an official decree is issued, it could be challenged in front of the Administrative Court. However, their looming presence is already affecting daily interactions among Libyans and motivating some men to take up the role of morality officers. Online,reports of men reprimanding women are surfacing alongside outrage over the Minister of Interior’s announcement.

In response, Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, prime minister of Libya under the UN-backed Government of National Unity,said that the morality police will not violate people’s rights. Regardless of the extent of the unit’s actual deployment, the notion that enforcing traditional regulations on women is mandatory is harmful enough.

“The propaganda that these kinds of statements create is what fuels violence against women across the country,” says Elmessiry. “Instead of restricting women’s freedoms and attacking them under the pretext of traditions and morals, the Libyan authorities must investigate these attacks and hold those responsible to account”

The proposition of the morality police and the rise of online violence against women are two sides of one coin, making up a comprehensive effort to force women out of public life in Libya, literally and virtually.

November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marked the launch of the16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence initiative. Libyan women find themselves at a precarious intersection between insufficient legal support, misogynistic societal norms, and political instability. They must not be neglected in international efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls.