News updates

With the grapes harvesting season approaching, Chateau Kefraya winery opened its vineyards for people to partake in the harvesting activity which is normally done by Syrian women.  The activity now known as the “morning of grapes harvest” started on August 8th and will continue throughout September 17th with the participation of a team of ten visitors.  The visitors are expected to come at 7:30 am each morning to enjoy the scenery as well as the work.  In addition to the harvest, the programme entails a breakfast at 9:00 and a visit to the vineyards and wine caves. (L’Orient le Jour 15 September 2016

 

Phalangist MP, Elie Maruni stated in a public event that “in some places, we need to ask about the role of women in instigating men to rape them”.  Maruni was speaking during a meeting organized by the Rassemblement Democratique des Femmes Libanaises which was convened last Wednesday to discuss article 522 of the penal code which exonerates rapists from legal pursuit in case they marry their victim.  During that same event, Maruni also expressed his refusal of the right of women to transmit their nationality using the usual excuse of preserving demographic balance.  Maruni’s statement stirred wide condemnations.  Activist and RDFL member Hayat Mirshad answered Maruni directly stating that “as a Lebanese citizen, I am ashamed of having MPs who think  this way while representing the Lebanese in Parliament”.  RDFL addressed a letter last Friday to MP and President of the Phalangist Party condemning Marouni’s statements.  In addition, a number of activists launched an electronic petition (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zqefNeT7ngDPVkiFXdq6xXlJbg1SGQrH120vp2YMHDw/mobilebasic) demanding that Maruni apologises to Lebanese women especially those who had suffered from physical, sexual and moral violence.  Maruni for his part regretted in a press conference convened last Saturday if his “statement upset some people” but nevertheless went on to defend his statement.  Prior to his press statement, Maruni had gone all out to accuse RDFL of being a “suspect organization” with a specific political agenda to target him before the next parliamentary elections.  Maruni added that his words were taken out of context and that he reserves his right to take legal action against RDFL and whoever is behind her. (Al Akhbar, Al- Diyar, and An-Nahar , 10 &12 September 2016)

 

Once again the suffering of MWDWs in Lebanon is treaded superficially in the daily news as if a casual incident.  An Nahar issue of last Saturday briefly reported that cleaning workers, while moving an unusually heavy waste container, were surprised to discover inside it, a young Ethiopian woman aged 30.  The woman did not carry any ID and was hardly living.  The workers alerted the authorities and the young woman was subsequently moved to a hospital for treatment and investigations started in order to uncover the circumstances of this matter. (An Nahar, September 12, 2016)

 

My Nationality is A Right for Me and My Family Campaign staged a sit-in yesterday in front of the ministry of education in Beirut to protest last July’s directive by education minister Abu Saab confining registration of High school students to Lebanese citizens only and demanded an equal treatment of the children of Lebanese women with Lebanese students. Karima Shebbo, speaking on behalf of the campaign, pointed out that the latter has received a number of complaints from Lebanese women married to non-Lebanese stating that their children, as per the minister’s order, have been refused at public schools. Shebbo said this started back in 2014 when the campaign sent an urgent letter to the education minister prompting him to issue a decision exempting children of Lebanese women married to foreigners from the earlier discriminatory directive. In 2015, Shebbo explained, when the problem resurfaced, schools were forced to accept this category of children under the pressure of negotiations. Shebbo pressed the need for drafting a legislation that is more tolerant in observing the basic rights to education and health for example. She urged minister Abu Saab to act quickly in order to save the educational future of those students that have been ill-treated by previous unfair decisions, reminding him of the rights of all to education in line with international human rights agreements and conventions. For her part, Iqbal Dughan, president of the Lebanese Women Council, considered that what is happening today is a fallout of the deprivation of Lebanese women from their rights to pass nationality to their children. “We are Lebanese citizens,” she said, “and the Constitution has guaranteed us the right to equality with our men partners,” she added, warning politicians and officials of “relentless struggle to repossess our rights to nationality.” (L’Orient Le Jour, The Daily Star, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, As Safir, An Nahar, September 9, 2016)

In the framework of regulating the work of agencies recruiting migrant women domestic workers MWDWs, the Lebanese labor ministry issued a new directive yesterday ordering the closure of a number of violating offices. The ministry’s statement listed the names of the above offices as follows: As Saha Co for general services, Al Mustaqbal for Services, Al Jad Co for General Trade, Noor for General Trade and Services, Al Lubnaniya for General Services and Srinka Services. As a result of investigations, the labor ministry statement went on to say, the majority of problems have been detected with workers who have been brought in through illegal dealers. (Al Diyar, September 8, 2016)

 

Previous related news: 

Labor ministry shuts down MWDW recruiting agencies

 

The vice president of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel Amir Kablan, chair of the board of trustees of the Islamic University in Lebanon, appointed Dr. Dina Mawla president of the university as successor to Dr. Hassan Shalabi. Mawla, to be noted, holds a PHD in law from Montpelier University since 2004 and has occupied a number of academic and research positions, including the following: the director of the French branch of the Lebanese University School of Law from 2011 to 2015; a member of the Joint Committee, professor of master of strategic studies at the Lebanese Army Center for Studies and Research, professor at the Military School; foreign relations officer at the LU School of Law and Political Sciences; chair of the Center for Research and Academic Cooperation; a member in the Parliamentary committee deliberating a draft ‘mediation legislation’; a member in the Higher University Committee for Programs and Curricula; a member in the Special Law Committee and member in the Research Committee. Mawla has also paneled numerous doctorate and master defense thesis and has participated in a large number of conferences in addition to having many publications in specialized international journals. (An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, September 8, 2016)

 

In a special feature on September 2, L’Orien Le Jour portrayed the life of students coming from rural areas and staying inside university dorms better known as foyer houses, with special focus on women and their capacity to adjust to new circumstances and to roommates or classmates from different environs and communities. On the subject, the newspaper interviewed a number of girls who had to leave their villages to follow up their studies, particularly the disciplines that are not easy to get at nearby college branches. Some students, while admitting the tough new life in the city and the challenge of dealing with diverse mentalities and lifestyles, disclosed that they would have never left their families if they found their desired specialty close to where they live. Adila Lakkis, for example, said she had to move from Batroon to Fanar suburbia of Beirut to study public relations and Joanna Sayyid Ahmad left Tripoli to specialize in speech therapy. Other girls boasted to the newspaper’s reporter that living independently was a splendid experience of freedom away from home. Besides, L’Orient Le Jour cited a number of women  students who lamented the difficulties they encounter every day, mostly the feeling of home-sickness or having to attend to uncalled for duties, like the provision of food and similar living allowances. Others interviewees spoke of the hardships of adaptation to a completely new environment particularly in terms of reconciling and coping with widely diverse standards outside their social norms and prejudiced thoughts. (For more about the article in French, please check: http://bit.ly/2bXFq0o). (L’Orient Le Jour, September 2, 2016)

 

The 18-year-old Raw3a, from the Syrian town of Raqa and residing in Kadmous, Tyre in South Lebanon, became a new victim of domestic violence after being slain by her two brothers at her parents’ house on the pretext of honor killing! In the details, Rawaa was in love with a man her clan did not approve of. This prompted her to leave her house and head to the Beirut suburb of Uzai where her future partner lives to get married to him. But, as this step did not satisfy the girl’s family, they decided to "avenge their honor". According to sources close to the victim, it was agreed that the husband’s family pay an amount of LBP 3 million as a dowry or marriage settlement to the bride’s family and a reception date was set (yesterday). However, the sources reportedly added, the reconciliation between the two sides did not hold up more than one day as it turned out to be a trap to lure the girl to return home. After committing the crime, Raw3a’s brother Ibrahim, prime convict, turned himself in to the security forces and his other brother Ahmad was subsequently arrested with the rest of family members. Later, criminal investigation and police squad members showed up at the crime scene to collect evidence while a forensic pathologist examined the victim’s body. The house was subsequently sealed with red wax. (Al Akhbar, As Safir, An Nahar, September 6, 2016)

 

Previous related news: 

‎20-year-old Maymoona from Akkar another woman victim of domestic violence ‎

Zahra from Hermel another fallen women victim of domestic violence

Zainab, another Lebanese woman victim of a domestic violence

From Beirut to Tripoli a wave of protest against the approach of Justice towards VAW

 

The Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (LWDG) stated in its document on ‎‎‘policies regarding trafficking in women’ based on a study by Kafa Enough ‎Violence and Exploitation organization that the widespread belief that ‎prostitution reduces incidences of rape is a main cause for the prevalence of the ‎sex trade. This, in addition to the male chauvinist conviction that sex is a natural ‎and biological right to entertain men and give them a good reason for proving ‎their manliness and enhancing their sex experience, in addition to watching porn ‎films and an associated desire to play-act them. The LWDG paper pointed out to ‎the concentration of prostitution rings along the Lebanese coast, noting that nearly ‎‎70% of those are located in Jounyeh‎‏-‏Ma‏3‏ameltayen area, including the so-termed ‎super night clubs, bars and massage centers. Sex hubs also operate from Byblos, ‎Nahr el Kalb, Safra, Barbara, Kaslik and Hamra and some apartments in Beirut. ‎According to the document, the total number of brothels identified by the security ‎apparatus is 13 brothels, each employing 15 girls on average), aside from the big ‎night clubs (employing at least 60 prostitutes each). It should be noted, that Kafa ‎has earlier revealed in its study that around 51% of the sex clientele in Lebanon ‎are between 22 and 29 years of age; 22% belong to the age group 30-34 years ‎while those above 35 years and under 21 years make 14% of sex buyers each.  The ‎study further disclosed that 35% of the sex clientele (the highest proportion) are in ‎a relationship, followed by those who are not (33%), married customers (24%) and ‎finally, engaged male sex buyers who represent 4%. (Al Akhbar, September 5, ‎‎2016)‎

 

In its edition on Tuesday, Al Mustaqbal daily drew attention to the growing need for diversity in the workplace, particularly with the fast changes in the energy sector, and the increasing efforts to empower women as vital catalysts for the success of businesses. According to Al Mustaqbal, these statements were made by women leaders within the framework of preparations for the ‘women in the energy sector’ event which will be organized on the sideline of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference ADIPIC 2016 which id planned for next November. On this subject, the director of the strategy and planning for the energy sector unit at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company ADNOC, Fatima Naimi, who is expected to participate as speaker in the conference (‘a marked improvement in women’s affairs in the Emirates’), has underlined the steady support she received from the Emirate’s wise leadership during the past few years. She indicated that obstacles in the energy industry are increasing not only in the region but globally, and are related mainly to financial, social and mental factors. These, she added, vary from the development of supportive institutional infrastructure to inspiring women to become part of the future prospects in the field. For her part, Eline Wilkinson, the vice president of exploration in the MENA region at Shell stressed the significant added value of women’s participation in the energy sector’s workforce. Similarly, Al Mustaqbal highlighted a new report by Reuters which revealed that women representation in the oil and gas sectors is the lowest among other sectors. Likewise, an analysis study by leading global people and organizations advisory firm, Korn Ferry, on the American energy companies has shown that women represent only 6 % of the CEO positions in the sector. Linkedin, the professional networking service, on the other hand has found that women represent nearly 26.7% of its total member specialists involved in the oil and gas industries worldwide, a figure which it described is the lowest among the sectors regularly reviewed by the organisation.  (Al Mustaqbal, August 30, 2016)