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Dr. Tamara Al Zein from Lebanon, in addition to 4 other women scientists from Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Egypt, received the L'Oreal-Unesco award for women in science (Egypt and Levant fellowship) for the year 2016. The awards were announced during a celebration organized on September 20th at the ESA in Beirut.  The winners were chosen based on their advanced scientific research in cancer, MRI, Radio diagnosis, ground water research and toxic material. The awardees were the following:

- Dr Tamara Al Zein from Lebanon, Research Associate at the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission- The National Council for Scientific Research. She won the award for her innovative materials that help to remove radioactive contamination, and measure the radioactivity 

- Dr Ghinwa Khaddur from Syria, Researcher at the Natural Resources Research Division of the General Authority for Scientific Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Damascus, Damascus.

- Dr May Fathy Tolba from Egypt, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo

- Dr Amani Al-Gharaibah from Jordan, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Department of the Faculty of Engineering in Amman Private University

- Dr Shatha A. Shafiq from Iraq, Assistant professor in the Department of Science - Faculty of Science - Mustansiriya University, Baghdad

In its speech pronounced during the celebration, the representative of the awards emphasized the need to challenge barriers which hinder women's participation in the advancement of science.  Indeed, and since the launch of this award, 2530 women scientists have been recognized some of whom are also Nobel prize winners. (As-Safir, September 22, 2016)

 

In its issue of last Friday, the As Safir newspaper profiled the woman mayor of Hawsh al Harimeh, Maryam Hussein al Adwi, a women in her sixties reputed for her strength in the area.  Al Adwi is proud of her constituency who voted for her giving her a margin of 200 votes more than her competitor.  Al Adwi's reputation is tinted with that of her own neighborhood which is alas a major source of pollution in the Litani plain and lake.  Indeed, residents of this area discharge their sewage into the Litani as the area is yet to be equipped with a sewage system.  In her interview with the newspaper, Al Adwi notes that she planned to run for elections on a women-only list but this was not possible because of a number of local problems namely the assassination of the region's previous mayor.  As such, she has remained in her post whilst awaiting the next elections, but never fails to raise with public officials the issue of the Litani pollution and the situation of poverty which affects all the region's inhabitants. (As Safir, September 16th 2016)

 

According to a study done by the ILO and launched yesterday on the rights of migrant workers and the care economy in Lebanon, migrant workers in Lebanon suffer from withholding their salaries, restrictions on mobility and on personal life, in addition to physical and moral violence, intimidation and deception.  The study confirms findings of other researches in the field and goes further to say that a form of slavery is taking place in Arab countries notably in Lebanon and Jordan.  The study notes that migrant workers are in large numbers in Lebanon and the majority are men (1,019 women compared to 181 men).  The same source says that 42% of women migrants in Lebanon work 8 hours a day while 37% work between 8 to 10 hours, 8% work between 10 to 12 hours and 14% work between 12 to 14 hours a day.  Other findings include the fact that many employers refuse to allow women workers to take a day off every week and women migrant workers are not treated decently within households.  Indeed, 14% are forced to live in living rooms, while 5% sleep in the kitchen, 4% in children's room and 4% on the balcony!  Other main problems facing migrant workers is the absence of any form of guarantors of their rights which makes them vulnerable to exploitation and even slavery.  Regarding salaries, several violations have been noted as the study shows that 35% of migrant women workers receive between USD 150 to 199 monthly, while 42% receuve between USD 200 and 299 monthly and 14% receive between USD 300 and 399 monthly.  To be noted that the representative of the Ministry of Labor, Jumana Haymur, was present during the presentation of the study and withdrew from the room saying that the Ministry is not concerned by what is being said and that there are more important priorities in Lebanon notably the problem of Syrian refugees. On the other hand, the Ministry of Labour issued a new memo on September 14th freezing the operation of several employment agencies.  The Ministry noted that this new, and third batch of employment offices to be halted include Munir association for trade and public services,  Al Junub association, Tala Tours, Al Raed Association for public services, (As Safir and Al Mustaqbal, 15 and 20 September 2016)

For more about the report in Arabic, please check: http://m.assafir.com/Article/176/510620

 

The positions expressed by Minister Bassil during the concluding session of the expatriates' conference in New York regarding women's rights to nationality and the racism regarding Palestinians and Syrians (http://bit.ly/2cYHchE) continue to stir wide condemnations from various segments of society.  Indeed, My Nationality is is a Right for me and my Family Campaign condemned in a statement issued today, the outrageous racist and sexist statements expressed by the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gebran Bassil.  The Campaign noted the Minister's insistence on the issue of the "specificity of Lebanon", an argument used the world over to justify the denial of rights. As an executive of the Lebanese government, the duty of the current Minister is to uphold rights and equality amongst citizens and not make judgments based on prejudice and discrimination, said the campaign.  Moreover, the Minister's role, as per the campaign, is also to ensure that the Constitution as well as International Human Rights Convention instruments ratified by Lebanon are upheld.  On the other hand, the Nationality Campaign noted that though it may be aggravated by the Minister's statements, yet, these statements are not surprising since they are consistent with earlier racist and sexist positions expressed by Minister Bassil and other Lebanese politicians. 

In addition, the vice director if the MENA section of Human Rights Watch, Lama Faqih, noted that Bassil's racist statements will further exclude Lebanese women married to Palestinian and Syrians from enjoying their right to transmit nationality to their families.  Faqih further accused Bassil of undermining efforts to reform the currently discriminatory family laws.  Social Media advocates also launched a hashtag campaign (#bassil_has_to_resign) calling on Bassil, to resign and condemning his racism vis-a-vis Palestinians and Syrians. (Daily Star and Al Hayat, 20 September, 2016)

 

The Italian battalion operating within UNIFIL organised yesterday in its premises in Shamehm Tyre Caza, an exhibition of women handicrafts and other local products.  The event was organised in collaboration with the Sainte Famille cooperative in Qana and with the participation of several key personalities.  The producers and representatives of active women associations presented an assortments of their handicrafts and food products.  To be noted that this Italian initiative took place within the framework of various activities and services implemented by the Italian civil-military collaboration bureau and seeks to provide opportunities for the UNIFIL personnel in Shameh as well as their guests to discover the products as well as engage with cultural life in South Lebanon and exchange with the various cultures within the UNIFIL. (Al Diyar, September 20, 2016)

 

Women and civil society organisations continue to be concerned with issues related to women's rights whereas politicians continue for their part to express chauvinist and racist views and positions.  Indeed, in his most recent statements, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gebran Bassil, who was speaking at “Lebanese Diaspora Energy Regional conference held in New York”,  noted that "whereas we heard clapping for women's rights to transmit nationality in the case of women married married to non-nationals, I too support this because there is no difference between women and men".  However, Bassil rushed to add "because our Lebanon is like this, I will not give Lebanese nationality to 400000 Palestinians because of we want to safeguard Lebanon, we must have exclusions and exceptions".  Bassil also added that this right should "not be granted to Palestinians and Syrians lest Lebanon will loose its identity".  In a related vein, the recent statement of MP Elie Marouni justifying violence against women caused a rift within the hosting organisation, RDFL, where 20 of its members presented a collective resignation from the organisation and who condemned the "campaign against MP Marouni" according to a statement issued by their regional president May Wakim who spoke to the An Nahar newspaper.

(Al-Diyyar, Al-Nahar, Al-Hayat 17, 19 September 2016)

 

Related news 

Women in Front call on Kataeb to kick out MP Maruni

MP Maruni faces wide condemnations for his statement regarding violence against women

 

 

 

The "Maakom" social and charitable association in Tripoli celebrated yesterday the graduation of students who completed the English courses implemented by the association.  The event was held at the Rashid Karami Exhibition Centre under the auspices of the US Embassy and with the participation of leading figures.  During the ceremony, the programme director, Ghina Osta Alloosh, noted in her speech that "over a six-month period, Syrian and Lebanese women joined together in 20 classes in the North and partook in 150 sessions including class sessions as well as educational outing".  She added that this "ceremony is special because it is taking place in Tripoli, a resilient and oppressed city which suffered from conflict from decades and this has affected its social, cultural and economic fabric".  The US ambassador in Lebanon, Elizabeth Richards, noted for her part that "since 2007, the USA has provided more than USD1 billion in development aid for the Lebanese people".  She added that this grants were mostly disbursed via USAID with the aim of strengthening progress in various sectors such as education, water management, good governance and the creation of economic opportunities".  Alloosh and Edwards then proceeded to distribute certificates to the 400 participants in addition to trophies to representatives of the US Embassies, municpalities and partner associations.(Al Mustaqbal, September, 19, 2016)

 

In its issue of September 12th, L’Orient le Jour interviewed Lebanese Chef and food awareness activist, Kamal Muzawak as well as artist, academic and Egyptian-Lebanese historian, Bahyah Shehab, both selected from the Prince Klaus award for 2016.  A reminder that there awards have been issued over the past 20 years to honor individuals and institutions for pioneer work in culture and development. Muzawak, the founder of Souk el Tayeb, noted that his slogan is “make food not war”.  He added that the idea for Souk el Tayeb came in 2004 in order to send a message to find bridges among various community based on food as a common denominator.  He further noted that the second aim of his work is to preserve traditional food.  Muzawak earned his award because he focused on building bridges away from sectarian divides in Lebanon. Muzawak concluded that he is now working on the Souk el Tayeb book in collaboration with the Klaus Institute so as to introduce Lebanon through history, land, agriculture and cuisine.  For her part, art historian Bahyah Shehab spoke of her fascination with Arabic manuscripts especially the word “No”.  After the revolution in Egypt in 2011, she started posting pictures on the streets saying No to dictators, No to the military and No to violence.  On winning the Klaus award, Shehab says that she got it because she was able to merge history and Islamic art in order to deal with current politics with a feminist perspective.  Shehab concluded by saying that she wishes to work with the Klaus Institute in focusing on education in the Arab world as she perceives that problems come from education and there is a need to clean mindsets.  She assured that the road ahead is long but that she will persevere. (L’Orient le Jour, September 12, 2016)

 

In its issue of today, the Daily Star highlighted the challenges that women working in the security sector face in Lebanon especially those who interface with criminals and wanted individuals.  The newspaper interviewed First Sergeant in the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces, Paula Uaiss, who was working in the Forces’ investigation bureau. Uaiss spoke of the difficulties she faced notably the traditional mindsets which refuse to see women engage in these jobs.  Uaiss noted that she enjoys her job as an investigator and likes roaming the streets with her colleagues looking for wanted individuals.  However, she decided to move to the administrative bureau after a few years when she realized that she could not strike a good work-life balance which would be suitable to her future plans.  This is so especially since her working hours entail two consecutive working days followed by an off day.  This was not agreeable to her marriage plans.  Also, and as she noted, administrative work is less risky.  Uaiss emphasized the challenges that women face in this sector namely being undermined and having their skills undervalued as well as the criticisms they often face.  Uaiss referred to a personal experience she went through as she had to work as a traffic agent during one of the holidays during which time she was faced with obscenities and insults. (Daily Star, September 16,2016)

 

As reactions to MP Maruni’s anti-women statements continue (c.f. http://bit.ly/2cgeeKw), Women in Front group sent last Monday a letter to the President of the Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, demanding the resignation of MP Maruni.  The letter said: “While we were expecting an unequivocal apology from MP Maruni and a statement from the Phalangist Party condemning the incident, the response was quite the contrary”.  MP Maruni further threw accusations at the organizing women groups and continued to politicize the event in an attempt to mask the issue and marginalise the struggles of women in Lebanon”.  Women in Front also expressed its concern since “Maruni is not only a party member but also a representative in Parliament which bettors him with legislatives power related to the protection of all citizens, notably women”.  The organization concluded by calling for immediate measures to be taken by the Party given the severity of the incident in addition to issuing a formal statement to confirm that Maruni’s position is not harmonious with his party’s. To be noted that until now, the Kataeb has yet to issue a formal statement condemning the incident.  It has thus far discussed the controversy in its weekly political meeting on Tuesday where it has reiterated the position of the Party in support of full citizenship between women and men at the legislative, political and social level and has also reiterated the need for abolishing clause 522 of the penal code. (L’Orient le Jour 15 September,2016)