Member of the North-South Centre Pool of experts for women’s rights from Algeria since 2017 and contributor to the North-South Centre publications and conferences since 1996, Nadia Ait Zai is a lecturer in family law at Algiers University, a committed campaigner for women’s rights in the Maghreb and founder of the “Centre d’Information et de Documentation sur les Droits de l’Enfant et de la Femme” (CIDDEF) in Algiers, which was set up to document the history of the women’s movement—in Algeria, in the Maghreb, in Europe and worldwide. She is a founding member of the Collectif Maghreb Egalite. Among other things, she is co-author of “100 Proposals for an Alternative Islamic Family Code in the Maghreb” and “Dalil for equality in family in Maghreb” (2003). She is also a co-author of Algeria’s first official survey on violence against women, published in 2005 by the National Institute of Public Health.

CIDDEF is an information and documentation centre on children and women’s rights created the 9th May 2002 in Algeria. This space became the focal point for human rights activists as well as for professionals (students and researchers) on children and women’s issues. Since 2015, it was integrated into the Foundation for Equality. The organisation has a database of more than 6’000 documents on feminine condition and children’s rights available on CIDDEF website. To achieve its objectives, namely, to inform, popularise and raise awareness, study-sessions are organised and psychological and juridical service support was set up.

CIDDEF is a space for meetings and exchanges between key actors. It aspires to build bridges between civil society and public institutions. Among its numerous activities (such as training for professionals, researchers, local authorities, raising awareness for public and associative sectors, research, studies and policy developments, etc.), the organisation seeks to the institutional reinforcement through implementation of the inter-sectoral partnership and networks consolidation in Algeria and the region. In this regard, the Organisation often participated in events of the North-South Centre which is a beneficial and instructive exchanges platform when it comes to women’s rights, democracy and citizenship.

CIDDEF is member of several networks in the region and has developed draft “Arab laws” on children’s rights with Egyptian partners and on women’s rights with Lebanese partners. One of the most successful collaborative works is an Arab draft law on protection of women victims of violence initiated by the organisation KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation. KAFA is also member of the Pool of experts of the North-South Centre for Lebanon. For more than two years, experts from North-Africa and Middle East worked on drafting regional legislation on the basis of the text of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). The work has been focused on the national laws on the criminalisation of violence against women and victims’ assistance. Experts gathered together, considered important to respond to the question of women’s protection from violence that is still lacking in the region. Today, Tunisia is the only Arab country to have a comprehensive law framework to protect women’s from violence. Through this draft law’s project, organisations, associations and experts are committed to raise awareness of public authorities and governments of their country for better protection of women.

Contribution of Nadia Ait-Zai, Founder and President of CIDDEF – Foundation for Equality

For more information about CIDDEF

For more information about KAFA

For more information about the Istanbul Convention