{{short description|Algerian women's rights institution network}} {{Infobox organization/Wikidata|fetchwikidata=ALL}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}} The '''Wassila network''' ({{langx|fr|réseau Wassila}}) or '''l'Association contre les violences faites aux femmes et aux enfants''' or '''Avife''' (''Association against violence done to women and children'') is a network of Algerian citizens' groups and institutions that defend women's rights, established in October 2000.<ref name="NQF_reseauWassila" />
==Creation and structure== The Wassila network was created in October 2000, near the end of the Algerian Civil War, a context within which women's rights were under attack both practically and legally.<ref name="NQF_reseauWassila" /> The network is named after a girl called Wassila who was adopted and abandoned and became a single mother.<ref name="ElWatan_monde_de_brutes" />
In 2011, the network included 28 citizens' associations and institutions.<ref name="ElWatan_monde_de_brutes" /> Member groups in 2013 included SOS Children's Villages, Atustep, Tharwa Fadhma n’Soumer, the ''Association pour l'émancipation des femmes'', Sarp, Amusnaw, Djazaïrouna, medical and mental health professionals, lawyers and human rights activists.<ref name="LibAlg" /> ==Aims== The Wassila network aims to obtain equal rights for women both in the legal system and in fighting against rape and other violence against women, including "massive marital violence". The network also handles sexual abuse of children. According to the Wassila network, 80% of its documented cases concern violence within the home.<ref name="NQF_reseauWassila" />
==Actions== The Wassila network published a "White paper of testimonies" of women victims of violence. According to the network, immolation, torture and murder became commonplace against Algerian women.<ref name="NQF_reseauWassila" />
The network has three branches of action: developing practical help for victims (including a telephone support helpline and legal aid),<ref name="ElWatan_monde_de_brutes" /> training of medical, legal and media personnel, and legal approaches (include criminal law against sexual violence).<ref name="NQF_reseauWassila" />
The network received between 800 and 2000 calls for help on its telephone helpline during 2011–2013.<ref name="LibAlg" />
The Wassila network published a statement following the "punitive expedition" attacks on women workers in Hassi Messaoud, known for the 2001 Hassi Messaoud mob attacks against women. The network stated that neither local nor national authorities protected the women from a systematic pattern of violence.<ref name="RFI_resWassila_HassiMessaoud" />
===Hirak=== On 16 March 2019, during the "Hirak" 2019 Algerian protests, Saadia Gacem and Faïka Medjahed, members of the Wassila network, together with other women, signed a declaration establishing Femmes algériennes pour un changement vers l'égalité (''Algerian women for a shift towards equality''), calling for "full and complete equality between female and male citizens, without distinction of gender, class, regional origin of beliefs", announcing the creation of a "feminist square {{langx|fr|carré féministe}} which will be located each Friday in front of the main gate of the Algiers 1 University starting from 13:00" and calling for "taking into account equal representation of women in any citizens' initiative aiming to solve" the issues of the Hirak protests.<ref name="LeWatan_creation_FACE_3mars" />
Later during the Hirak protests, an alliance of trade unions, citizens' groups and individuals, the Dynamiques de la société civile, was created in a meeting on 15 June 2019, with the aim of coordinating with other Algerian citizens' networks in fundamentally reorganising the Algerian state.<ref name="ElWatan_DSC_24aout_11nov" /><ref name="LeMatindAlg_DSC_24aout" /> The Wassila network withdrew from the 15 June conference,<ref name="ROARmag_feministes_au_front" /> on the grounds that the meeting "'did not stated clearly and unambiguously the fundamental and non-negotiable political principle of equality between men and women.<ref name="LeMonde_transition_6mois" />
==References== <references>
<ref name="NQF_reseauWassila">{{cite journal | last1 =Djerbal | first1 =Dalila Iamarene | last2= Oussedik | first2= Fatma | title= Le réseau Wassila, un collectif algérien pour les droits des femmes et l'égalité |trans-title = <!-- trans-title is the English translation --> | publisher = Cairn.info | journal = Nouvelles Questions Féministes |date = 2014-10-16 |volume = 33 | issue =2 |pages = 136 | url = https://www.cairn.info/revue-nouvelles-questions-feministes-2014-2-page-136.htm | doi =10.3917/nqf.332.0136 | access-date = 2019-12-21 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191209205546/https://www.cairn.info/revue-nouvelles-questions-feministes-2014-2-page-136.htm |archive-date= 2019-12-09 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->| doi-access = free | url-access = subscription }}</ref>
<ref name="ElWatan_monde_de_brutes">{{cite news | last1= Belkadi | first1= Mehdia |language=fr | title= Le réseau Wassila, un peu de douceur dans un monde de brutes |trans-title = The Wassila network, a bit of softness in a world of brutes<!-- trans-title is the English translation --> | date= 2011-11-25 |newspaper= El Watan | url= https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/le-reseau-wassila-un-peu-de-douceur-dans-un-monde-de-brutes-25-11-2011 |access-date=2019-12-21 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191220020747/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/le-reseau-wassila-un-peu-de-douceur-dans-un-monde-de-brutes-25-11-2011 |archive-date= 2019-12-20 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->}}</ref>
<ref name="LibAlg">{{cite news | title= Le Réseau Wassila atteint un record de 792 appels |language=fr |trans-title = The Wassila network reaches a record of 792 calls <!-- trans-title is the English translation --> | date= 2013-08-28 |newspaper= Liberté (Algeria) | url= https://www.liberte-algerie.com/actualite/le-reseau-wassila-atteint-un-record-de-792-appels-194122 |access-date=2019-12-21 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191220021655/https://www.liberte-algerie.com/actualite/le-reseau-wassila-atteint-un-record-de-792-appels-194122 |archive-date= 2019-12-20 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->}}</ref>
<ref name="RFI_resWassila_HassiMessaoud">{{cite web | language =fr | title= Algérie: le Réseau Wassila se bat contre les violences faites aux femmes |trans-title = Algeria: the Wassila network fights against violence done to women<!-- trans-title is the English translation --> | website= Radio France Internationale |date =2016-09-12 | url = http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20160912-algerie-wassila-hassi-messaoud-femmes-victimes-violences | access-date = 2019-12-21 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191220021526/http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20160912-algerie-wassila-hassi-messaoud-femmes-victimes-violences |archive-date= 2019-12-20 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->}}</ref>
<ref name="LeMatindAlg_DSC_24aout">{{cite news | language = fr | title= Dynamiques de la Société civile: la rencontre du 24 août, une "solution salutaire" |trans-title = Dynamiques de la Société civile: the 24 August meeting, "a good solution" <!-- trans-title is the English translation --> | date= 2019-08-19 |newspaper= Le Matin d'Algérie | url= https://www.lematindalgerie.com/dynamiques-de-la-societe-civile-la-rencontre-du-24-aout-une-solution-salutaire |access-date=2019-12-09 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191209010957/https://www.lematindalgerie.com/dynamiques-de-la-societe-civile-la-rencontre-du-24-aout-une-solution-salutaire |archive-date= 2019-12-09 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->}}</ref>
<ref name="ElWatan_DSC_24aout_11nov">{{cite news | last1= Iddir | first1= Nadir | language =fr | title= Dynamiques de la société civile : Cap sur la conférence nationale |trans-title = Dynamiques de la société civile: towards a national meeting <!-- trans-title is the English translation --> | date= 2019-11-17 |newspaper= El Watan | url= https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/dynamiques-de-la-societe-civile-cap-sur-la-conference-nationale-17-11-2019 |access-date=2019-12-15 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215220523/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/dynamiques-de-la-societe-civile-cap-sur-la-conference-nationale-17-11-2019 |archive-date= 2019-12-15 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->}}</ref>
<ref name="LeMonde_transition_6mois">{{cite web | last1 =Chenaoui | first1 =Zahra |language = en | title=En Algérie, des organisations de la société civile se mettent d'accord pour une " transition de six mois à un an " |trans-title = In Algeria, civil society organisations agree to a "six-to-twelve month transition"<!-- trans-title is the English translation --> | website=Le Monde |date =2019-06-16 | url =https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2019/06/16/en-algerie-des-organisations-de-la-societe-civile-se-mettent-d-accord-pour-une-transition-de-six-mois-a-un-an_5476910_3212.html | access-date = 2019-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216133515/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2019/06/16/en-algerie-des-organisations-de-la-societe-civile-se-mettent-d-accord-pour-une-transition-de-six-mois-a-un-an_5476910_3212.html |archive-date= 2019-12-16 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->}}</ref>
<ref name="LeWatan_creation_FACE_3mars">{{cite news | language =fr | title= Femmes algériennes pour un changement vers l'égalité |trans-title = Algerian women for shifting to equality<!-- trans-title is the English translation --> | date= 2019-03-21 |newspaper= El Watan | url= https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/femmes-algeriennes-pour-un-changement-vers-legalite-21-03-2019 |access-date=2019-12-22 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191222155534/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/femmes-algeriennes-pour-un-changement-vers-legalite-21-03-2019 |archive-date=2019-12-22 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->}}</ref>
<ref name="ROARmag_feministes_au_front">{{cite news | last1= Ouitis | first1=Leïla | language =en | title= Feminists on the front lines of the Algerian uprising | date= 2019-09-06 |newspaper= ROAR Magazine | url= https://roarmag.org/essays/feminism-algerian-uprising/ |access-date=2019-12-22 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191216133215/https://roarmag.org/essays/feminism-algerian-uprising/ |archive-date= 2019-12-16 |url-status=live <!-- live|dead|unfit|usurped -->}}</ref>
</references>
Category:Feminist organisations in Algeria Category:Child-related organisations in Algeria Category:2019–2021 Algerian protests