/ cfd projects in Algeria
cfd's partner organisations in Algeria run psychosocial projects for victims of violence, helping people to work through the experiences of terror and war, and working to improve the legal and social status of women. These organisations focus on coping with the trauma of violence and preventing its recurrence, as well as empowering women.
Dealing with War and Violence
During the nineties, the violent conflict in Algeria claimed approximately 150'000 lives. 20'000 were declared missing, innumerable people suffered physical and psychological trauma. Most of the islamic fighters have returned to their villages and homes. This causes tremendous stress for those people who were their victims during the war. The crimes of violence exercised by the army, the militia and other armed groups, have so far not been subjected to investigation. Neither the government, nor the military, nor the islamic parties are interested in revealing the truth.
Civilian organisations, such as cfd's partners, that seriously face up to the consequences of conflict, and strive for real democratisation with the implementation of Human and Women's Rights, face a rough political climate. In September 2005, the 'Charta for Peace and national Conciliation' was accepted in a referendum. The resulting amnesty that was passed in February 2006, based on the Charta, grants total amnesty to perpetrators that belonged to the army or the police forces, as well as a generous partial amnesty to members of islamic organisations. It also obliges the families and representatives of victims and missing persons to remain silent. This considerably increases the legal difficulties civil society faces when attempting to deal with the past.
Gender-Related Violence
Despite continuing armed conflict in remote areas and the extended state of emergency, the daily lives of those living in the bigger cities has reached a certain measure of normality. However, physical, psychological and sexual violence towards women remains wide-spread, as is documented by women's shelters and a national survey. This can be considered a consequence of violent conflict that leads to a 'normality' of violence on the part of the perpetrators, as well as the desolate economic situation. Patriarchal social structures and a family law that systematically discriminates against women play significant roles in this situation.
Fighting Legal Discrimination
Although the Algerian constitution declares everyone equal before the law, neither the legal nor the social realities do justice to this. In particular, the firmly entrenched family law, the 'Code de la famille', legitimises a systematic discrimination of women and girls. Women's organisations have therefore renamed it the 'Code de l'infamie'. Although some articles of the old family law dated 1984 were reformed in 2005, the essential injustices were left intact: women are legally not granted the right to make decisions on their own behalf. Further substantial reforms, such as those in Morocco, are unlikely in Algeria due to the resistance of conservative elements. Within the Mahgreb Program, cfd actively supports the cooperation between Algerian and Moroccan women's organisations that work for Women's Rights, supporting them in their efforts to find strategies of change.