She has a degree in the banking sector and she has roamed the streets of Kairouan almost daily, knocking on doors, carrying heavy files with her. And all Afaf Saeedani really wants is a job.

Saeedani is in her forties, a difficult age for a single woman in Tunisia. She spent most of her youth unemployed thanks to conditions in the country and now she is too old to compete with younger, qualified applicants for jobs in the civil service.

She has a degree in the banking sector and she has roamed the streets of Kairouan almost daily, knocking on doors, carrying heavy files with her. And all Afaf Saeedani really wants is a job.

Saeedani is in her forties, a difficult age for a single woman in Tunisia. She spent most of her youth unemployed thanks to conditions in the country and now she is too old to compete with younger, qualified applicants for jobs in the civil service.

According to national statistics Tunisia’s overall unemployment rate sits at around 15 percent. But the province of Kairouan has some of the worst rates in the country, estimated at even higher than 15 percent.

“It pains me to see people younger than me, who have just graduated from university, being offered jobs whereas my hopes have been dashed time and time again,” Saeedani says. “And these people are getting jobs in suspicious ways.”

Nepotism a big problem

There is still a lot of nepotism in play when it comes to getting jobs with the government; locals will often hire relatives or friends before considering who might have the best qualifications, and every job applicant knows this.

Hassan Talibi, also in his 40s and from Kairouan, tells a similar story. He has a degree in Arabic and he has also joined a union that advocates for the unemployed; nonetheless the recently married man has not been able to find a job and he’s been having a lot of trouble paying the rent for himself and his wife.

“The situation for unemployed people here is terrible as they do not have social or health insurance, despite the fact that some of them graduated from university after many years of study,” Talibi says. “This leads to a lot of dissatisfaction and discontent.”

Making things worse

As a result of their unhappiness about the employment situation in Kairouan, both Talibi and Saeedani have joined a number of protests. Locals have demonstrated in front of government offices in the province, staging sit-ins to express their anger. Unfortunately for some unemployed Tunisians, this only made their situation worse.

Saeedani was arrested on September 1, 2014, during a sit-in for “obstructing the work of a government facility”. A similar complaint was filed against Talibi in late 2014 too.

Saeedani was eventually fined $50 but she has rejected the punishment and launched an appeal, believing it unjust to fine unemployed people simply for protesting. She says she is only one of thousands of people whom the state has done an injustice. But it seems unlikely that this would help her chances of getting a job in the civil service.

So is it fair to arrest the unemployed and then fine them? Kairouan’s governor believes it is. The prosecutions are “purely judicial matters,” he said, denying that there was any nepotism involved in making appointments. Additionally, he said, local authorities were doing their best to reduce unemployment and provide locals with better and more job opportunities.