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The Women in Parliament coalition launched yesterday a campaign from Ain Mreiseh, Beirut entitled 'Our voice-reaching-the skies-30% women ministers'. Activists and members of the coalition demanded the participation of women by not less than 30% in the forthcoming cabinet. Banners hoisted by the campaigners read like, 'we want 7 women ministers in the 24-minister government'.  Lebanon to note came 143 out of 144 countries in terms of women political representation. Coalition coordinator, Samira Maasri, said the talk about a government that appeases all components of society should also take into consideration women’s representation. “We want the present defective situation put right. We want 30% women ministers,” Maasri warned. In the same vein, the Lebanese Women Council (LWC) called for the adjustment of legislations to be discrimination-free, and promote equality and the active participation of women in decision making. The LWC statement released during a press conference on Friday with the theme, ‘Participation of women in upcoming landmarks”, appealed for activating the role of women in senior political positions and enactment of the minimum 30% women’s quota in the executive branch. The statement also called for endorsement of a fair proportional electoral law which endorses a women’s share by at least 30% in the next Parliamentary elections. The LWC also called for a just and impartial legislative system void of any discriminatory laws against women and the abolition of Article 522 of the Penal Code which exempts a rapist from punishment if he marries his victim. On the economic and employment fronts, LWC requested an amendment of the Labor and Social Security Laws in effect so that they take in workers in the agriculture sector. Other notes by LCW, included the amendment of the text on the punishment of acts of sexual harassment at the workplace, activation of the Social and Economic Council and putting in effect women’s representation quota in senior state positions.(An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, December 3 and 5, 2016)

 

In its edition of Saturday, An Nahar daily reported that the World Bank (WB) has suspended the financing of the ‘first time job for youth’ program agreed in 2012 with the Lebanese government through the state-run National Employment Office (NEO) (LBP 10 billion for the first phase). The pretext for the WB, the newspaper said, was the delay in the launch of the program twice for reasons of incomplete administrative and legal procedures. While justifying the right of the international institution to take the decision it deems fit, An Nahar explained that the delay was not due to a bad performance by NEO, but rather due to a disagreement on the funding mechanism between the government and the WB. The newspaper pointed out that the World Bank’s decision came within the framework of inbound global initiatives to employ a larger number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and hence the deferral of funds from the local hosting communities to displaced Syrians, with a total disregard to the exceptionally high rate of unemployment among Lebanon’s youth. An Nahar criticized the WB which, An Nahar said, has turned its offices in Beirut into an agency for marketing Syrian workforce. On the other hand, the World Bank denied categorically all the allegations by An Nahar on reallocating the funds to Syrian refugees. In this respect, the officer for Human Development Program at the World Bank, Hanin Sayid, clarified to the Daily Star newspaper that the funds have not been channeled to any refugee project whatsoever. (An Nahar, The Daily Star, December 3 and 5, 2016)

 

Beirut Investigative Judge, George Rizk, postponed, the accusatory decision in the case of child Ella Tannus, who lost her four limbs in March 2015 because of  a medical error, to 11 January 2017, and this  at the request of the hospitals that asked to meet again the  members of the medical committee, with whom they have met several times. It is to be noted that the decree was expected to be released last Wednesday, to conclude the investigation in Ella’s case against the hospitals "Al Ma3unat”, Hotel Dieu "and American University Medical Centre "and the doctors, for misdemeanors, crimes and limbs amputation, and to transmit the file to the public prosecutor, before the trial began. In another vain the Criminal Court of Cassation, headed by Judge Suheir Harakeh, has yesterday postponed the hearing session in follow up of the killer husband of Manal Assi, Mohammad Nuheili, until January 19, 2017 for incomplete court. The said court has on August 22 revoked the mitigating sentence from the death penalty to 5 years in prison against Nuheili supported by Article 252 of the Penal Code which allows the perpetrator to benefit from a reduced sentence if the crime was committed in a state of rage. (Al Mustaqbal, As Safir,  Al-Akhbar December 2, 2017)

 

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In an interesting article published today, Al Akhbar highlighted a study by architect Bassem Saad entitled, ‘5 square meter maid’s room: Lebanese racist, gendered architecture- failure of architecture’. In his study, Saad analyzed the role of architecture in promoting unfair treatment and discrimination against migrant women domestic workers (MWDWs). The architectural patterns in Lebanon are founded on racism particularly in the design of maids’ rooms in such that they do not encroach on the general floor area ratio of the apartment, and that the average surface area of the room should not exceed 5 square meters. Such lodgings, the study said, are unlivable and lack the proper facilities or even windows for aeration. Racist and discriminatory dispositions are literally applied in construction and maids are squeezed into isolated ‘cavities’ inside the houses, according to the study. Architects, developers and real estate brokers consider that spaces devoted for live-in help are classified under the “category of non-aesthetic service-related elements in a design that must be cleverly concealed behind several layers of architecture to ensure that they are rendered as inconspicuous as possible.” The migrant domestic worker, Saad pointed out in his study, is “driven into this fragile state, which automatically gives her a deviated presence once dissimilar cultural norms are identified.” He considered that the legal framework of architectural racism is marked in the construction law which contains several provisions related to migrant workers. Firstly, the said Law refers to migrant workers’ rooms as “servants’ rooms”, going as far as referring to the helper in a feminine form, Saad expounded. According to him, this migrant worker’s lodging type is mentioned interruptedly throughout the law and in a number of texts related to other types of rooms, such as storage and laundry spaces, which originally are not designed to house people for extended periods of time. (Al Akhbar, December 2, 2016)

 

Al Hayat daily highlighted in a special feature today a new aspect in the life of Syrian women who are venturing into the men’s workplace, especially after being left as sole breadwinners of their immediate and extended families. Displaced Syrian women, Al Hayat wrote, were driven to look for work anywhere and at minimal wage to provide for their children. And when they could not find their call in the jammed labor market due to high demand by their peers, they sought occupations that were not long ago restricted to men. They targeted vacant occupations (usually occupied by men) and at the same time wanted to prove to their community that they are not any less than men no matter how arduous or tough the job, Al Hayat said. There are too many examples out on the streets and all over the city, the newspaper wrote, portraying a brave woman who parks her bike mounted with children’s favorite snacks and pastries every day in front of schools. And in the afternoon, this same woman replaces the snacks with cleaning detergents and kitchen utensils to sell for women on the streets and in parks. For more on the subject, the newspaper interviewed a number of women, like Dalal, in her twenties, who works at a bakery to help with the family’s expenses. In the beginning, Dalal told the reporter, she found it awkward to be with a bunch of men workers, but later she felt comfortable and they got into the habit of her daily presence. Um Mohamad, another bold woman, who works in a cement factory, said that the job was very rough when she first started as it required stamina and physical aptness in summer and winter. After she ran out of her savings, she was forced to start work, Um Mohamad boasted, mentioning a colleague at the same factory who drives a truck loaded with cement blocks and sand. (Al Hayat, December 1, 2016)

 

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ABAAD non-profit organization staged a symbolic sit-in yesterday in front of the Parliament demanding the full annulment of Article 522 of the Penal Code, which provides for the end of all prosecution against a sexual assaulter if he marries his victim. (Section 7 of the Penal Code/ on crimes of obscene or abusive nature). The move coincides with the meeting of the Parliamentary Administration and Justice Committee to study a proposal submitted by MP Elie Kayruz to repeal the above article without amendment. Partaking in the protest, were a number of deputies, namely Samir Jissr, Ghassan Mkhaibir and Elie Kayruz. On the occasion, lawyer Danielle Howayek from Abaad explained that the basic demand is a complete eradication of the article which contains a text that is blatantly humiliating to women and vindicates the cruelty of perpetrators of rape crimes. Howayek categorically rejected any adjustment of the said article that facilitates the violation of women’s human rights. For his part, MP Mkhaibir revealed an initial approval by above committee members to abolish the article. To note, the move comes as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign. (The promotional video of the campaign: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-gKu9yw6eI). Commenting on the promo announcement, journalist Ahmad Mohsen wrote in Al Akhbar newspaper that the video which shows a shackled woman dressed in white, a symbol of marriage, who is harshly beaten, is in fact meaningless, and only justifes violence. The promo implores affection and compassion, thus supports patriarchy’s vision of women as weak  (To review the article of Ahmad Mohsen in “Al Akhbar” please check: http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/268917) . 

(Al Akhbar, Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, December 1, 2016)

 

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The Lebanese Businessmen Association (RDCL) led by Dr. Fuad Zmokhal held yesterday a lunch/dialogue banquet at Four Seasons Hotel in Beirut for the occasion of the official launch of the Lebanese Businessmen and Businesswomen in the World Association (RDCL World) in the presence of founding members and dignitaries. On the occasion, Zmokhal stressed that the new global gathering is an independent authorized entity that will encompass prominent women and men in business from Lebanon and the world. It will also embrace liberal professions and private companies, not only individuals, Zmokhal said, hoping to open branches in every country with extensive presence of Lebanese nationals. The gathering will seek collaboration and camaraderie and will “sign cooperation agreements with Lebanese international alliances to make team efforts more efficient and productive,” he said. “We have faith in the solidarity of the Lebanese business bodies around the world who are keen to help their national counterparts access world markets or venture together into new ones, as well as establish trade exchange protocols to finance tripartite operations and productive partnerships,” Zmokhal added. He finally advised transcending narrow individualist approaches in business, which the Lebanese boast, into wider collective work. The founding members are as follows: Elie Aoun, Mona Bawarshi, Emile Shawi, Farid Dahdah, Elias Dumit, George Gharib, Toni Ghrayib, Nassib Nasr, Riad Abji, Fuad Zmohkal, Elie Abu Jawdeh and Karim Farsoon. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, An Nahar, December 1, 2016)

 

Contemporary Muslim women suffer from several predicaments and challenges, probably more than their counterparts around the world, wrote researcher Al Amjad Salameh in Al Akhbar newspaper today. He drew attention to two kinds of problems, internal ordained by the prevalent laws, traditions and local institutions (countries with Muslim majority), and external, brought about by racial profiling unfolding around the West. Salameh argued that feminist organizations (local and western) contribute to the major setbacks in the lives of Muslim women, noting that while such associations initially advocate women’s rights, yet, for certain reasons, they create hurdles instead of presenting solutions to alleviate the pressure. To date, Salameh wrote, neither these associations nor the Muslim communities have been able to identify the source of the dysfunction governing the relation between them. On the one hand, while feminist groups throw accusatory labels (like patriarchal and male chauvinistic) at local communities, the latter, largely conservative, describe women’s associations as copycats of the West, according to Salameh. The status of the Muslim woman cannot be tackled outside the context of her role or level of income in the labor market of states with Muslim majority, Salameh said, giving Lebanese working women as an example, especially for what Lebanon stands for as a leading supporter of the “liberation” of women. A woman wearing hijab in Lebanon, Salameh explained, faces discrimination in employment, and most employers in the private sector and recruiting institutions refuse to hire her. Despite this alarming fact, feminist groups in Lebanon act indifferently without even mentioning similar cases, Salameh said. “Unfortunately, the majority of feminist organizations in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, are funded by Western donors, and therefore have to develop their agendas and goals in the context of Western feminism,” Salameh concluded. He went on to generalize by saying that “western feminists only see in the veiled woman, an oppressed person and that she has to get rid of the veil, before considering it a women and help her in her fight against injustice”. For the complete article, kindly visit the following link: http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/268858. (Al Akhbar, November 30, 2016)

 

The Prime Minister Designate, Saad Hariri, stressed yesterday that education and knowledge are the only way to build human capacities and achieve a paradigm shift in the latent potentials of the local economy and maintain Lebanon’s distinctive presence in the region. Hariri was speaking during the inauguration in Downtown Beirut of the Outreach and Leadership Academy of the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development (OLA) in the framework of partnership with the Lebanese American University (LAU). “Currently, a key responsibility of the State is to create jobs for young men and women and reinstate a climate of optimism and confidence, to encourage the generation of the future”, Hariri said. He further underlined the importance of the initiative as a model for cooperation between the private sector and civil society. Hariri stressed that the project boosts the skills of youth in schools, universities and workplace, and therefore, enhances opportunities of success for students in finding the right jobs after graduation and for young employees in terms of individual initiative. To recall, the Beirut center for OLA, a twin of the Saida-based center, is built on the trilogy ‘educate, empower, engage’. It is aimed to provide civil society organisations, as well as, educational and state-run institutions with training courses on a sustainable basis. The main aim is the development of leadership and management skills as well as raising the awareness of civil society to community issues, in addition to the empowerment of youth and the working and productive forces. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, Novebmer 30, 2016)

 

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