( CNN ) -- Women stood at the forefront of the Arab Spring , taking to the streets shoulder to shoulder with men in an effort to overturn oppressive old orders . But while their efforts have seen dictators ousted and reforms introduced , the greater rights for women many hoped would emerge from the upheaval have not materialized . Indeed , says Lebanese activist Diala Haidar , the rise of political Islam throughout the region in the wake of the uprising has raised the specter of hard-won gains for women being lost . Haidar and four other women 's rights activists across the region started a campaign , The Uprising of Women in the Arab World , on Facebook in October 2011 , to highlight injustices against women throughout the region . `` The Arab Spring took place under the banner of freedom , dignity and equality , and the three ca n't be established if women are left behind , '' said Haidar , 28 , a laboratory supervisor . `` At every stage of history we have been given the excuse , 'It 's not the time to discuss women 's issues -- we are at war , it 's a revolution , ' or whatever . It 's our time to say 'We need our rights , ' '' she added . Read more : Going under the knife for a manly mustache . The Facebook page has attracted more than 78,000 `` likes '' and there is now a website . Two campaigns are currently running : One asks people to submit photos with a message of solidarity with women in the region written in Arabic . The other , launched on United Nations ' International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25 , encourages women to share their stories of violence , abuse and harassment , in an effort to shine a spotlight on such incidents . Dozens of women have given their accounts , with a recurring theme that they have felt unable to speak out or hold the perpetrators to account . `` The revolution wo n't take place in secrecy , it will take place in the light , '' said Haidar . `` We have to start sharing our stories and concerns and aspirations publicly . It can prove that these incidents ... are not exceptional cases but part of a whole society that we should work to cure from this violence . '' One account of abuse on the website is given by Rahma , a 22-year-old Tunisian woman , who writes of being sexually molested aged nine by a man who she says has never been held accountable . `` In our culture , these issues are taboos and it is better to suppress them for the sake of the family 's 'honor , ' '' she writes . `` What an absurd honor . '' Haidar says the campaign is trying to challenge patriarchal cultural attitudes surrounding `` honor , '' often enshrined in discriminatory legal systems that punish the victims of sexual crimes . `` We have to get rid of the blame that society inflicts upon us when it comes to issues of sexual harassment , rape and domestic violence , '' she added . Read more : In Lawrence of Arabia 's footsteps . In a recent case highlighting the extent of the problem , a 27-year-old Tunisian woman who was allegedly raped by two policemen after they approached her and her fiance in a car was subsequently charged with indecency , which carries a potential six-month sentence , when she filed a complaint against the officers . The charges were eventually dropped ( although the prosecutor has appealed the ruling ) , and the woman was offered a state apology , but not before the case attracted large protests and criticism that the woman 's treatment reflected the attitudes of the country 's new Islamist leaders . Earlier this year , international outrage erupted over the plight of a 16-year-old Moroccan girl who committed suicide after a court ordered her to marry her rapist . Read more : My heart is still in Gaza . A rise in sexual violence in the form of mob attacks on women on the streets was a pressing issue in post-revolutionary Egypt , said Haidar , as was the concern that women 's equality would not be enshrined in the sharia-influenced draft constitution . Haidar added that the campaign was targeting other issues across the region including the persistence of patriarchal personal status laws , honor killings , female genital mutilation and forced marriages . Fatima Nabil , 16 , from Aden , Yemen , submitted a painting to the campaign . `` I have a friend my age who was forced out of school into marriage , '' she told CNN . Her paintings were an attempt to `` express the injustice suffered by women , because they live in darkness and constraint , '' she said . But Haidar said it is still `` too early '' to say that the Arab Spring has failed women and that could only happen if women allowed it . `` They ca n't betray women as long as we stand up for our rights and take advantage of this moment in history , '' she said . `` If we consent to this it will happen , but if we do n't it will never happen . ''
Women took to the streets during the Arab Spring demanding greater rights . But activists say women 's rights have fallen off the agenda after the uprising . The say the rise of Islamist governments is further jeopardizing the status of women . An online movement is underway to keep women 's rights in the spotlight .