News updates

On the World Population Day coinciding on July 11 of each year, KAFA, Enough Violence and Exploitation organization launched yesterday a video highlighting the issue of early marriage in Lebanon in order to pressure for setting up a minimum official age of marriage. The video was produced in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, which chose the theme for this year to be ‘Investing in Girls’. The video complements KAFA’s earlier campaign ‘An Archaic Law is not a Serious Law’ launched back in December, 2015, in allusion to the current patriarchal laws regulating personal status which are discriminatory against women and children. Through the above video, KAFA sheds light on the conflicting nature of the notion of ‘legal age’ as perceived by the Lebanese legislator. For while recognizing the ineptitude of girls under 18 years in committing to contractual agreements (obligation of law and contracts), or to drive a car (traffic law), there are no legislations that regulate the age of marriage of girls. As such, a girl under 18 years is disqualified from one perspective, but yet could be eligible to raise a family!! Girls screened in the video tape have demanded setting the minimum age for marriage, particularly in the absence of clear laws that prohibit the marriage of children, and also because personal status provisions are manipulated by confessional systems that seem relaxed and tolerant towards the issue of early marriage. The video ended with the motto, ‘at this age, I don’t want to be called mama’. For her part, the press officer at KAFA, Maya Ammar, presented the solution to the dilemma, which as she maintained, is “to approve and enforce among all religious communities a civil personal status law that sets the age of 18 as the minimum age for marriage,". (Al-Akhbar 12 July 2016)

For more on the video, please refer to the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6q-FK8RWWM ;

 

The Lebanese Labor Ministry said it has received complaints about a number of beach resorts ‎who are banning entry of migrant domestic workers, with or without the company of their ‎employer households. Accordingly, the ministry issued a statement describing this action as a ‎clear infringement on human rights, stressing that it will take the necessary legal procedures ‎against them. The ministry also asked owners of similar resorts to undo their disrespectful ‎measures against individuals, notwithstanding their color, race or ethnicity, threatening to take ‎appropriate action against violators. Moreover, the statement went on to say, the ministry “is ‎serious in providing legal protection to migrant workers, as part of its conviction and recognition ‎of the human nature of this category of workers, and on the basis of fighting all forms of human ‎trafficking and discrimination as observed in the international human rights conventions”. (Al ‎Diyar, An Nahar, July 5, 2016)‎

 

As Safir reported today that after months of strain and suffering by the Sweidan couple to see their children who have been taken to the custody of the Anglican House of Hope, the father won a 10-day custody of his children by virtue of a court ruling to this effect. In the details, the story started back in March 2015, when the father filed a grievance before the Appeals Public Prosecutor of Mount Lebanon against his wife and her brother after he returned home and could not find her or the kids. He accused his wife of kidnapping the children to exploit them in illegal forms of work. After a few days, As Safir went on to say, the husband discovered that his wife, who has resorted to the civil association, Abaad, (which protects survivors of gender based and domestic violence) through an office affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs in the southern suburb of Shiyya7 stating that she has been exposed to abuse by her husband. Abaad took the children and their mom from place to place whenever the father got wind of their location, and thus hid them for six months without reverting to the court. On 26/11/2015, Abaad seized a court ruling by Judge Dima Deeb which temporarily places the mother and her children at its premises. On 11/1/2016, Deeb issued another decision releasing the mother and her daughters provided she declares the new place of residence. Later, on January 21, Deeb delivered a new verdict requesting a letter in writing to be sent to the Appeals Court in the North advising the competent authorities to write a directive of investigation and inquiry against the mother for taking her daughters to an unknown destination. The verdict ordered delivery and placement of the children at the above association. On 28/1/2016, Judge Deeb issued a new ruling asking the ‘deceased’ grandfather to take temporary custody of his grandchildren! The newspaper pointed out that after a strenuous and unhappy journey, the wife has decided to return home hoping to reunite and reconcile with her family. The file, it should be noted, has been transferred to the Jurisdiction of Saida in the South, which decided that the children stay away from their parents and accordingly be placed at the Anglican House of Hope in Ka7aleh, Mount Lebanon, where they are now. (As Safir, July 4 and 5, 2016)

 

The National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) held a meeting on Friday to discuss the ‎data on the recent participation of women in municipal elections based on a survey study carried ‎out by Information International. The said survey showed similarities in results between the 2010 ‎and 2016 municipal elections figures, whereby the number of women candidates (in all Lebanon) ‎has risen from 1346 to 1485 women nominees, and the share of women winners has increased ‎from 4.7% in 2010 to 5.6% in 2016. During the meeting, NCLW vice president, Randa Assi ‎Berri, underlined the following: “If the result of the increase in the rate of participation in ‎municipal elections which occurs every six years barely reaches 1 to 2%, this means that we need ‎some 250 years to realize the sought justice or parity between men and women.” The shortest ‎solution to this sad reality, Berri added, is the adoption of a women’s representation quota as a ‎temporary and transitional answer to the inadequate participation of women in public and ‎political life. (Al Mustaqbal, July 2, 2016)‎

 

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No real participation of women in public life in the absence of political will

 

In collaboration with German Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) organized yesterday in Baalbaq an event, entitled, ‘Promoting the Role of Women in Public Affairs in Baalbaq - Achievements and Challenges’, and in order draw attention to their common efforts to raise the levels of public and political participation of women and develop their capacities. LOST founder, Rami Lakkis pointed out during the occasion that the precarious political situation at the national level prevents the young generation and women from participating in political life. “In order to boost women’s engagement on the public scene, efforts should be employed along two axis,” Lakkis said. The first should be based on strengthening women’s self-confidence and esteem, improving their potentials and developing skills that enable them to better communicate and manage themselves and others as well, Lakkis explained. The second axis, should work on reducing social obstacles that impede their participatory action in this regard. For his part, KAS representative, Peter Rimmele gave a summary of the training which was implemented in the context of the collaborative project in Baalbaq and Hermel. “Beneficiaries have partaken in political campaigning, expressed their opinions and communicated with others,” Rimmele said. They also learned about the art of public speaking and the nature of municipal work, he added, disclosing that some even nominated themselves for municipal councils. And in a direct address to the participants, Rimmele said encouragingly, “this is just the beginning, keep it up.” At the end of the conference, the women candidates to Baalbaq municipal council, namely Hadeel Rifai’, Yumna Tofaili and Mirvat Wehbeh, presented their assessment of the training project and the underlying challenges. (Al Mustaqbal, July 1, 2016)

 

Fair Trade Lebanon will be hosting on July 1st and second the 10th  the international conference for Fair Trade Municipalities.  This year’s event is entitled “building communication bridges through Fair Trade” and will be held in Baskinta under the auspices of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform, Nabeel de Freige. Some18 countries will be represented in addition to representatives of Fair Trade organizations around the world.  FTL issued a statement in which it noted that holding this conference in Lebanon will strengthen Lebanon’s international role and will boost its environmental, natural, historical, touristic and human assets which will enable the country to be the first Fair Trade country in the world.  The statement also outlined the dynamic society in Lebanon which, despite the fact that it suffered from conflicts and disasters and from hosting refugees, still enjoys dynamism and creativity in finding solutions for challenges and is able to play an international role as a messenger of conviviality, peace and freedom.  To be noted that since its inception in 2006, FTL says it has encouraged the creation of organizations and cooperatives and strengthened those existing.  To dates, the organization says that it works with 36 coops and a number of small and medium enterprises whom it helps to improve their product to meet international standards.  It has also taken part in exhibitions and established partnerships with similar organizations outside Lebanon to who it sells some 72 products branded: Terroirs du Liban, products that are also sold on the local market. (Al-Diyar, June 28, 2016)

 

The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Saida and the South announced last Saturday its support to new projects implemented that target women members in six cooperative associations. Support to these individual projects came as part of UNDP-support to a broader scheme aiming at rural women coops in Nabatiyeh and the South, and which is implemented by the Chamber and funded by the Drylands Development Center-DCC (http://web.undp.org/drylands).The initiative seeks to strengthen the marketing and production capacities of cooperatives in order to boost their economic sustainability.  The Chamber also announced that the six winning cooperatives were: the Agricultural Cooperative Association in Aitaroun, the Productive Agricultural Cooperative Association in Adshit, the Cooperation Association for the Manufacture and Marketing of Agricultural Products in Hula (Moonit El Dai’aa), the Cooperative Association for Food Processing and Marketing in Abbasiyeh (Jood El Ard), the Cooperative Association for Rural Food in Hariss (Al Imad) and lastly, the Cooperative Association for Artisan and Agricultural Manufacturing in Qana- the Holy Family. It is to be noted that the  programme to support the Agricultural Cooperative Association in Aitarun aims to increase the income of 50 women in the cooperative and in the village, through raising chickens for eggs production, while Adshit undertaking aims at increasing the productive capacity of the Coop’s line of products, the thyme (zaatar baladi), through the provision of zaatar seedlings and the required irrigation network and water reservoirs, due to the growing demand on this rural commodity. The remaining projects in Houla, Abbasiyeh and Hariss benefit women members through development of their productive capacities by securing the proper tools and equipment needed for food processing, mainly for the making of jams, preserves and traditional mooneh items. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, As Safir, June 26 and 27, 2016)

 

Following the arrest of the Safra and Ma3ameltayen women trafficking networks east of the capital, the General Directorate of Security Forces- Public Relations Section, announced in a statement on Saturday the uncovering of yet another prostitution ring this time in the areas of Dora and Hamra in Beirut, in less than two months. Some 12 involved Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian girls, one under age, along with five young men, have been captured.  The culprits used mobile phones and social media to entice customers. The arrest came upon information gathered by the Anti-Human Trafficking and Morals Protection Bureau- the Judiciary Police Unit. The five men facilitated the act of prostitution, the SF statement said, noting that investigation is underway by the competent court. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, June 26, 2016)

 

Related news:

New mafia network in Safra for Syrian women trafficking

75 Syrian girls freed from a Lebanese human trafficking mafia located in Jounieh

 

The report released during a conference yesterday by Insan Association under the heading, ‘Migrant Women Domestic Workers Trapped in Lebanon’ did not bring anything new other than the usual criticism of the unfair sponsorship (Kafala) system. What was new, however, was the detailing of legislations and conventions in observation of those rights, mainly the right to have a decent place to live and to move freely. According to the above study, the sponsorship system has in fact institutionalized the concept of enslavement of persons through the practices of employers. As such, migrant woman domestic workers (MWDWs) are deprived of their most fundamental rights like, the right to end a working contract, the right to a decent working environment, to be paid regularly, to keep her identification papers with her, or the right to health insurance. These work terms, the study expounded, should be properly applied. Yet, nearly 78% of employers tend to confiscate their workers’ passports or personal belongings throughout their stay; 80% of MWDWs are not allowed to leave the house in the absence of their employers and, around 31% of these workers are subjected to forced detention, the study indicated. Likewise, the Public Security (PS) Department, who markedly did not attend the conference organized by Insan, interprets Article 8 of the employment contract signed by the MWDW and approved by the Labor Ministry, and according to which the employer (or sponsor) is bound to provide decent housing for the migrant worker, as a mandatory live-in condition. The report concluded by warning that restricting the mobility and movement of MWDWs by their employers or by the owners of recruitment agencies, is considered, by virtue of law, a criminal offense or even a felony. In light of Article 569 of the Penal Code, the punishment for the crime of denying a person his or her freedom could reach as far as life imprisonment. This could also be applied to the cases of forced detention and confiscation of personal papers. (As Safir, Al Akhbar, June 23, 2016)