User's Guide

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 
How can I take advantage of this online Observatory?
 
This Observatory is designed to be an interactive, dynamic, and practical tool for the promotion of women's rights in Tunisia. Much more than just a mere database or online library, it contains:
  • A search engine with a diversity of criteria based on the specific factors you want to monitor;
  • A wide range of women's rights decisions from all court levels - not just the big or exceptional ones - to track "everyday’s news" and not just "today’s’ news"
 
Among the many target audiences, the Observatory can be useful for:
  • Researchers and journalists: to research and study court decisions
  • Activists, decisionmakers and policymakers: to monitor the implementation of laws and the treatment of women by the justice system
  • For lawyers, judges, and other legal practitioners: to track how cases on specific topics are litigated and dealt with in other jurisdictions
  • For activists: to denounce bad decisions and advocate for reforms to laws and procedures
 
How can I contribute to this Observatory?
 
This Observatory is designed to be a space for sharing among everyone interested in women's rights in Tunisia.
  • Anyone can contribute to this effort by uploading court decisions;
  • Lawyers can also share best practices and litigation strategies by sharing examples of model pleadings.
 
What types of decisions can be shared on the Observatory?
 
The Observatory is designed to share all kinds of decisions rendered from any court in Tunisia, from any level of jurisdiction or jurisdiction, as long as they address one of the various issues relating to women's rights.
 
How is the Observatory content built and maintained?
 
The Observatory is maintained by local NGOs, lawyers and members of the public from across the country who, on a voluntary basis, enter data and upload court decisions.  This organic and horizontal process aims to create a movement and a community of practice, and to go beyond a limited group of "experts".
 
The Observatory content thus depends on ongoing sharing of court decisions by NGO partners as well as the public (please see the link to share a decision).
 
How can I change the navigation language?
 
The Observatory platform can be navigated in Arabic, French or English. To change the navigation language, click on the flag icon representing the desired language. The summaries of the court decisions and the actual decisions stay in their original language.
 
How can I create an account and connect?
You must create a (free) account to be able to upload a court decision. On the other hand, simply researching decisions in the database does not require an account.
 
To create an account, on the home page, click on "Login."
 
Click "Create a new account," set a username and a mail address, and click "Create a new account."  You will receive a message at the email address provided.
 
Forgot your password?
 
On the home page, click on "Sign In" and then "Request a new password."
 
What are the different categories of users?
 
  • Visitor
  • Contributor
  • Publisher
  • Administrator
 
How can I share a court decision?
 
You must have created an account beforehand to be able to share a court decision.
 
Then connect to the site at the "Login” link. The option to "Share a court decision» will appear among the Menu choices.
 
You can share a court decision by completing the following fields:
 
  • Case number: This is the docket number assigned to the case.
  • Date the case was filed: Select the date the case was filed using the dropdown calendar.
  • Date of the decision: Select the date that the decision was rendered using the drop-down calendar.
  • Keywords: Select from the drop-down list all of the words that describe the issues and topics addressed in the case. More than one key word may be selected, so please check all that apply.
  • Type of Case: Select from the drop-down list the type of case (only one).
  • Judicial District: Select from the drop-down list the territorial jurisdiction in which the court is located (only one).  Once the judicial district has been selected, a drop-down list with a sub-section "First Instance Court" will appear, where you may select from the drop-down list the specific city in the district.
  • Level of Jurisdiction: Select from the drop-down list the level of the case (only one).
  • Court: Select from the drop-down list the specific court (only one).  Once the court is selected, a drop-down list with a "Chamber" sub-section will appear where you may select from the drop-down list the specific chamber that issued the decision.
  • Name of Judges: In this free text field, enter the name of the judge or judges who issued the decision. 
  • Gender of the Judge: Click on the appropriate choice from the menu.
  • Laws cited: Select from the drop-down list all the laws that were raised in the pleadings of this case, even if the final decision does not apply them. Check all the boxes that apply. The list contains Tunisian national laws and international human rights conventions to which Tunisia is a State Party. If these were mentioned during the case, even if they were not applied, please check them.
  • Type of decision: Select from the drop-down list the specific type of decision.
  • Write a summary: In this free text field, write a brief summary with key points from the decision. Guidelines for writing this summary and a concrete example can be found below the free text field, where it says "Click here to view a summary template.”
  • Upload the original decision: Scanned or photographed court decisions in pdf, jpg, jpeg or png format and smaller than 2MO can be uploaded into the database. It is imperative that you first delete / white out the names of the parties to the dispute. Click "Read the conditions for publishing a court decision" to consult them before sharing a decision. Click on "Choose File" to select the document file, and then "Transfer" to upload it.
 
How can I search for court decisions?
 
It is not necessary to create an account in order to search for court decisions.
 
The Observatory contains a variety of decisions, including those that are positive for women's rights and those that undermine women's rights. They cover a wide range of women's rights issues, and come from different geographic jurisdictions across the country, from different chambers and at different levels.
 
The Observatory is not a complete or exhaustive repository of all women's rights cases decided in Tunisia, and the results of the research should not be interpreted as statistically significant.
 
The Observatory is updated on a regular and ongoing basis - please consult the site frequently for the most up-to-date decisions.
 
You can search for decisions across a variety of criteria based on the information you want to obtain and the factors you want to observe, monitor, search, or compare. It may be to look for decisions according to, for example:
  • The topic of the case
  • A specific article of the law
  • The application of international standards
  • A conflict of jurisdictions
  • The judge's gender
  • The duration of the case
  • A specific court
 
Under "Judicial Decisions", enter or select the desired search criteria or criteria from one or more of the drop-down lists to obtain a list of court decisions with these specific characteristics. You may then read the summaries and download the files with the complete decisions.
 
What is the Model Pleadings Section?
 
This section contains templates and examples of pleadings shared by lawyers that can be used as good practice and inspiration in other litigation.
 
You can search for examples of pleadings across a variety of criteria depending on the nature of the case to be pleaded. The possible search fields are the same as for court decisions.