The Collective for Research and Training on Development – Action organised, in collaboration with Chaml, a seminar on “personal status laws and cross-confessional marriages in Lebanon”. The event was organised on Wednesday April 27th in Beirut within the framework of CRTD.A’s work in Active Citizenship and Gendered Social Entitlements and was attended by 36 invitees from sister organisations, activists as well as from various media institutions.
Expert researcher Kamal Feghali presented the main findings and results of a study he undertook for CRTD.A on cross-confessional marriages in Lebanon as well as the phenomenon of changing confessions whilst highlighting the social underpinnings of this process. The president of the university of non-violence and human rights in the Arab world, Ms. Eugarite Younane, presented a legal review of civil personal laws in Lebanon and noted that the Lebanese Constitutions guarantees the right of citizens to contract religious and civil marriages although the latter has yet to be codified. The seminar included a debate with participants on various views and insights on these issues as well as recommendations for moving forward with a national civil family law.