Final Evaluation: Pour que l'invisible soit visible (Tunisia)

Location: Tunisia  

Grantee: Centre de la Femme Arabe pour la Formation et la Recherche (CAWTAR)  

Grant period: June 2021–November 2024  

Grant amount: $480,000  

Centre de la Femme Arabe pour la Formation et la Recherche (CAWTAR), supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, implemented the three-year project “For the invisible to become visible” from June 2021 to November 2024. The project was carried out in Tunisia’s regions of Grand Tunis, Nabeul, Bizerte, Sidi Bouzid, Gabès, Tataouine, Sousse and Sfax. It aimed to reduce violence against women with disabilities and promote their inclusion in public policies and protection services. Its main objectives were to:

• advocate for inclusion of women with visual disabilities and/or are deaf and/or non-verbal in national and local public policies;
• empower women with disabilities to demand protection and justice in cases of violence; and
• improve access to ending violence against women (EVAW) services by adapting spaces and tools to the needs of women with disabilities.   

The final evaluation found that the project’s sustainability is promising as it laid the groundwork for training professionals, thereby making services more inclusive. 

 Key findings:   

• Project participants reported feeling safer and more prepared to respond to violence.  
• The project reached 262 women with disabilities, more than double its target, and over 300 individuals from 120 civil society organizations, surpassing its goal.
• Technology played a key role in the project’s achievements, with improved accessibility of the WRCATI platform (which served nearly 760,000 users) and Safeness app, which offer legal information on rights and guidance on navigating the judicial system.
• Nationally, the project supported a bill recognizing sign language and enabled the translation of Law No. 58 on EVAW into Braille. However, concrete action at the local level remains lacking.  

“Even though, as elected officials, we were aware of the challenges, seeing … how simple gestures, such as putting a green and red light on the door of an administration building, can transform communication with deaf and mute people, was a real eye-opener. – Elected official in Sousse (translated from French)