News updates

In its issue of last Friday, An Nahar newspper published a detailed report on the increase in domestic violence cases under lockdown.  The article refers to a recent report publish by Kafa Violence and Exploitation which indicates that the number of first-time calls received on their special hotline was 105 in April compared to 75 in March.  The report notes that this spike is related to the 6 murder cases which took place during the month of April as women who have been living with violence start fearing for their lives and are therefore motivated to call for help.  According to the paper, first time callers who have been living with violence are now calling more because they are under lockdown with their abusers 24/7.  Many say that they are often humiliated, shouted at, gaslighted and threatned with physical and economic abuse in addition to isolation and and threats to be separated from their children.  The article concludes by saying that the overwhelming majority of callers are adult, Lebanese married women with their husbands as abusers.  The abuse reported is often verval, emotional and spiking into physical. (An Nahar. May 8th, 2020)
 

In its issue of today, Al Akhbar newspaper spotlighted Dalal Sharaf, a seamstress from Saida, who lately started sewing face masks for protection from the corona virus at only LBP 2000 each. Speaking to Al Akhbar, Sharaf said that a friend has advised her to pick up where she left few months ago at the outbreak of the financial crisis which hit Lebanon and get back to sewing. She started gathering leftover white fabrics and rubber bands to create effective masks that fight the virus as well as the money mongers and those who benefit from the crisis, namely pharmacy owners and merchants who exploited people’s need for masks to raise the price of one piece to over LBP 12,000. Sharaf boasted her new product stressing its hygiene measures compared to those sold at drugstores. The face masks guarantee no air leakage due to the quality of the fabric and the sturdy bands attached at the side of the mask extending around the ears and cheeks, she explained. “What is important, she stated, is that it is reusable after vigorous washing, sterilization and ironing at high temperature. (Al Akhbar, March 13, 2020)
 

After the accusation against Al Maounat and AUBMC hospitals and two doctors in the case of child Ella Tanus who lost her limbs 5 years ago as a result of medical errors, the medical staff at AUBMC decided to appeal the ruling which it described as ‘unfair and detrimental’ to the future of medical practice in the country. Recalling, that the indicted parties have also been fined with LBP 1 billion and 800 million for the damages incurred. In light of the above verdict against AUBMC, the AUH and Dr. Rana Sharara, concerned doctors at AUBMC met on Tuesday voicing their outright support to Sharara and to her dedication to save the life the child girl who was already suffering from bacteremia. The doctors said the court’s decision has failed to distinguish between the medical error and the complications related to the natural course of the grave illness. Clarifying that said decision was based on an outdated law that is not compatible with medical malpractice legislations adopted in world countries, they said stand by the AUBMC administration and Dr. Sharara in appealing to the court to reinstate justice in this case. (An Nahar, March 12, 2020)
 

A Manhattan judge yesterday sentenced former film producer Harvey Weinstein to 23 years in prison after being found guilty last month of rape and criminal sexual acts against a number of female celebrities during 2017 (https://bit.ly/ 2Q9kPKb). This ruling is less than the maximum 29 years requested by prosecutors, yet it is considered severe for the 67-year old producer. In his statement before the court, Weinstein presented himself as another victim of the #MeToo movement in the US. “I used to be an example but now thousands of men are suspects. I am worried about this country,” he said. For his part, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance, said in a statement: “We thank the court for issuing a sentence that puts on notice sexual predators, human wolves and their aggressors in all segments of society.” He thanked survivors for their remarkable statements and indescribable courage over the past two years. (An Nahar, March 12, 2020)
 

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, member states on Monday adopted a political declaration pledging to ramp up efforts to reach a full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The latter to recall, is an all-inclusive plan aimed to promote and achieve gender equality and women empowerment. The international community considers the above political announcement as the main outcome of the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which is the largest annual gathering on gender equality and women empowerment held at the UN. This year’s session will focus on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including an in-depth assessment of current challenges that affect implementation. On the subject, UN Women executive director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said that 25 years after Beijing, we realize that progress made in the field of women’s rights has not gone far or fast enough. It is 2020, yet no country has achieved gender equality, she said, adding, “women and girls will hold them accountable as we work together for true and lasting equality and the full enjoyment of our human rights.” (An Nahar, March 9, 2020) 
 

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the International Center for Human Sciences- UNESCO, in Byblos, organized a seminar on ‘Empowering women and lifelong learning’, in addition to a dialogue table with the theme ‘Generational differences and women’s rights’. The head of the Center, Darina Saliba, pointed out that today is women’s day, but also it is the day of every woman around the world suffering from patriarchal mindsets, as she put it. Notwithstanding the global discrimination against women, still rampant in several Middle Eastern countries, there is agreement, studies show, that when women are in the leadership, corruption at the workplace allays and production increases remarkably. (NNA, March 11, 2020)
 

The General Assembly of the Economic Journalists Association met on March 5 to elect its administrative body. The results appeared as follows: Sabine Oweiss unanimously elected as president, Bahij Abu Ghanem as vice president, Joseph Farah also vice president, Omar Natour as secretary, Rima Khaddaj as deputy secretary, Pierre Saad as treasurer, Adnan Hamdan accountant, Haidar Abdallah Husseini as commissior of the association with the government, Kawthar Hanbouri as information secretary, Nadine Chalhoub as PR secretary, and Simon Chehadeh and Khaled Abu Shakra as members. Noting, that Oweiss, a mother of 2, is a graduate of the Faculty of Information and Documentation at the Lebanese University. She works as a journalist in An Nahar and has previously worked at Future TV and her name was associated with economics in Lebanon and the Arab world because she made the understanding of economics and figures easier to the public. (Al Diyar, March 7, 2020 )
 

On the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD), the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Karkash, said the empowerment of Emirati women is one of the key achievements of the state’s journey towards public good and development. This, he added, was the culmination of the efforts of Sheikha Fatmeh Bint Mubarak, better known as “Umm al Emarat” (Mother of the Emirates) in supporting UAE women and girls. Emirates News Agency, WAM, reported that the Emirati record is rich with women’s achievements which stimulated women’s empowerment to make remarkable leaps in the life of the country in a short period of time. Indicators of competitiveness, WAM said, sustains that UAE has reached the first ranks and regional leadership as indicated in relevant international reports. One of the most significant undertakings and initiatives launched by the General Women’s Union is the National Strategy for Empowering Women kicked off in 2002 by virtue of which the Emirates became the first Arab Gulf country to this effect. WAM pointed out that said strategy, updated for the period 2015-2021, provides a framework of reference for federal and local government institutions, as well as for civil society organizations and the private sector. (Al Diyar, March 10, 2020)
 

A veiled Muslim woman in Occupied Palestine, made her way to the Israeli Knesset where she is expected to become the first member to wear hijab, after “Arab” parties scored their best result in elections on March 2. Iman Yassin Khatib, 55, who won a seat for the joint “Arab list” that gained 15 seats in the 120-member Knesset, is a mother of four, from the village of Yafa Nazareth, holds an MA degree, and is a social work specialist and director of a social center since 20 years. On being the first veiled woman in the Knesset, Iman explained: “This is a big challenge, and am ready to take it till the end,” noting that she received great support from her community. (Al Diyar, March 5, 2020)