News updates

The percentage of women who won municipal seats in Mount Lebanon has risen slightly to reach 3.5% compared to 2% for Beirut and the Bekaa.  An initial review of results of the elections which were held on May 15th reveals a higher participation rate of women in the Metn reaching 10% of whom 50.4% won compared to 5.2% win for both women and men.  These results were by far the best amongst the 6 cazas of Mount Lebanon.  According to data of the official municipal elections website affiliated to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (elections.gov.lb) the total number of candidates in Mount Lebanon was 6827 of whom 496 were women.  Of the latter, 240 women won in the elections and thus occupying 3.5% of total seats.  Winning women were distributed per caza as follows: Metn, 1169 candidates, 121 women and 61 women winners (5.2%), Aley,1088 candidates, 68 women and 40 women winners (3.6%), Baabda, 982 candidates, 72 women and 36 women winners (3.6%), Jbeil, 821 candidates, 64 women and 27 women winners (3.2%), Keserwan, 1139 candidates, 82 women and 33 women winners (2.8%), and Shuf, 1628 candidates, 89 women and 43 women winners (2.6%). 

 

Notwithstanding the continuous pressures against their participation in municipal elections in the country, women remain resolute in nominating themselves within lists or independently. In this context, the women of Hasbaya defied the religious ban imposed by the clergy on their candidacy (see the news http://www.lkdg.org/ar/node/15123). Four women, Faten Sabek, Ghada Kakhi, Samiha Sharouf and Samiha Abu Dihn, united and ran under the common electoral list ‘Khiyarak Lil Taghyir’(your option for change) albeit not successfully. Similarly, Josephin Zgheib from Kfarzebian sough to stand up against the dominant local political forces through running for elections under the list ‘Kfarzebian Ailitna’ with the support of the ‘Citizens Within a State’ campaign and against the government backed list. Zgheib who won with a large margin of votes, also ran for parliamentary elections back in 2010 on the list of five members, who succeeded in breaching the opposing list of former MP Jean Akiki. In the south, on the other hand, A7hlam Hassan has been preparing since 2008 to run for municipal elections in her hometown of Maaraka, Tyre. She tried but failed to convince a group of women to join the fight and finally decided to run independently. In this respect, A7hlam, who did not win this time, stressed to As Safir newspaper the importance of participation of women in public affairs. Meanwhile, unprecedentedly since 1998, the Association for Women’s Advancement in Nabatiyeh in the South, nominated one of its members, Salam Sabbah, for the challenge of representing women and civil activists of the town and to overcome exclusion. Sabah, who was also not successful, told As Safir that pressures were exerted on her to withdraw. In North Lebanon, editor of the weekly Al Tamadun magazine, Rasha Sankari, known for her long contribution in public life, was nominated on ‘Li Tarablus’ (For Tripoli) collation list of dominant political forces. Sankari, to be noted, is a member, and vice president, of the Forum for the Rights of Disabled in North Lebanon and a strong supporter of environmental groups. (As Safir, Al Mustaqbal, Al Akhbar, May 21, 22, 23, 2016)

 

The Audiovisual Regulatory Workshop held its closing session last Tuesday which was called on by the National Media Council, in collaboration with the European Union, MedMedia for Euro-Mediterranean Media Cooperation and the Italian Communications Regulatory Authority. One of the axis of the above workshop which focused on ‘discrimination against women’ saw the participation of the deputy board head of the Croatian Regulatory Authority, and interventions from Dr. Nahawand Qadri, Mona Fares and Dr Antoine Matta. Recommendations were issued at the end of the session which called for the following: 1) develop a mechanism to monitor violations against the dignity of women and infringements on her rights as a human being through a close follow-up of the media performance, 2) readdress the provisions of the media law to the effect of protecting women and banning any exploitation of their  image, 3) establish binding legal provisions that prevent any publicity or media material that are demeaning to women, particularly advertisements that portray her as a sex object, and finally, 4) enhance the contribution of the media in combatting domestic violence and endorsing women’s participation in public life, with special emphasis on the municipal and parliamentary women representation quota. (Al Mustaqbal, May 25, 2016)

 

On the International Girls in ICT Day, on April 28 of each year, celebrations continued across various regions of Lebanon. Following the ceremony last week by the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Tripoli and the North, (see http://bit.ly/1XyO7ix), the leading mobile operator in the country, Alpha, managed by Orascom Telecom, organized interactive sessions aimed at promoting young girls’ engagement in IT and communications sector. The event, which was held as part of the global initiative by the International Telecommunications Union, hosted a number of activities and tours of the company offices, as well as contests among girl students from different local schools.  On the occasion, Alpha CEO General Director, Marwan Hayek, said the event in its fourth year is aimed to inspire girls to contribute effectively in forming the future through engaging in the resourceful and rapidly growing IT sector. “Women play an active role in Alpha, representing nearly 41% of the workforce, and we are constantly working to enhance the participation in all sectors within the company, particularly the technology bound departments,” maintained Hayek. (Al Diyar, May 25, 2016)

 

In collaboration with the Forum for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Lebanese Council of Disabled People, the National Association for the Rights of Disabled People in Lebanon (NARD) held last Thursday a national seminar entitled the ‘Role of the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) in Activating Law No. 220/2000 and Facts on Women with Disabilities in Lebanon Between the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Law 220/2000’. During the seminar, NARD President Dr. Nawaf Kabbara gave an analytical study examining “the reality of disabled persons in the country and the role of the above ministry in securing their rights following the endorsement by Parliament of said law and the adoption by the UN of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.” Kabbara made a number of recommendations, notably: increase the allocations for MoSA rights program to better cover the required technical assistance and equipment for all forms of handicaps; press MoSA for more support, particularly for early intervention, home care and special transport services; the implementation of the official 3% quota in the recruitment of handicapped persons in the public and private sectors and their integration in sports programs as well as their political and civil participation. For their part, Jahda Abu Khalil and Geryis Khury presented a comparative study on stipulations of both the above law and the convention on the rights of disabled persons. The study showed that the majority of handicapped women still are deprived from education and work and therefore from independent living, and from the ability to defy violence and exploitation. In conclusion, the study urged the integration of handicapped women in relevant legislations and the improvement of their general conditions. (Al Mustaqbal, May 24, 2016)

 

 

The Human Rights Protection Association HRPA honored last week women activist Inaam Muqaddam in appreciation and recognition of her benevolent social and educational accomplishments. The event was held in the presence of Linda Matar, former President of the League for Lebanese Women’s Rights, as well as representatives of women associations in Lebanon. (Al Diyar, May 23, 2016)

 

In collaboration with the Federation of Municipalities of Bint Jbeil, Jihad Al Binaa Development Association- South Directorate held last week three vocational training workshops on confectionary making and chocolate decoration in the towns of Bara3asheet, A3inata and Kooneen and two courses on the manufacture of dairy products in Hadatha and Yaroon, and as part of its accelerated vocational training project. Some 117 women participated in the chocolate sweets and pastries training courses which included theoretical and applied sessions. (Al Diyar, May 21, 2016)

 

The Euromed Feminist Initiative- EFE-EFI organized a roundtable yesterday under the banner ‘Ministerial conclusions of the Union for the Mediterranean on the social role of women in promoting gender equality strategies and policies: Priorities and prospects in Lebanon’. The event was organised as part of the EU-funded ‘Regional Gender Platform’ project. Participants included key stakeholders involved in furthering national cooperation and strengthening political dialogue between civil society and government officials with the aim to promote the rights of women and gender equality. Discussions focused on UfM Ministerial Conclusions (Paris 2013) in order to develop recommendations in preparation for the 4th UfM Ministerial Conference on the Rights of Women scheduled for February 2017. On the occasion, the EU Representative in Lebanon underlined the importance of women’s participation in decision making, pointing out to available prospects that could motivate women to venture into the political life. (Al Mustaqbal, May 20, 2016)

 

In collaboration with the Beirut Bar Association, Kafa, Enough Violence, ‎organization held a seminar yesterday at the House of the Lawyer in Beirut in the ‎presence of a number of ambassadors, judges and concerned activists. On the ‎occasion, the Single Judge in Jeb Jabnin, Beqaa, Fadi Aridi, brought to mind ‎challenges impeding the enforcement of the Law on Human Trafficking in ‎Lebanon No. 164/2011. Likewise, the officer for  the Anti-Trafficking and ‎Exploitation of Women Unit at Kafa, Ghada Jabbur, tackled prostitution facts in ‎the country, like for example, the interrelation between human trafficking and ‎prostitution, the role of the sex buyer and points of disagreement between the ‎three mainstream analogies involving prostitution (interdictive, regulatory, and ‎obliterative). For his part, the executive director of the Global Alliance Against ‎Trafficking in Women, Gregoire Terry, outlined the new French legislation that ‎fights prostitution, supports victims and penalizes both sex dealers and buyers. ‎‎ Recommendations were issued at the end of the seminar which called for the ‎following: 1) readdress any legislative or regulatory texts that could be ‎misinterpreted to sanction the act of exploitation or trafficking in persons, or that ‎could support sex traders in court in terms of  corroborating the legality of their ‎action, 2) amendment of the law of human trafficking and exemption of the ‎victim from the toil of proving they are victims, 3) modification of all human ‎trafficking related laws while annexing them to the above Law No. 164, with ‎emphasis on decriminalizing the victims and ensuring their protection, in addition ‎to removing the term ‘Force’ mentioned under the definition of exploitation, 4) ‎penalizing the sex buyer (customer) in order to check his role in sustaining ‎prostitution and human trafficking. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Akhbar, May 20, 2016)‎

 

The civil and secular group, “Citizens Within a State”, continues its bold municipal elections campaign with the aim to break the hegemony of confessional/sectarian leaders and in order to build a civil, democratic, just and capable state. The civil movement announced its 11 new nominees (including 4 women) for the South and Nabatiyeh elections planned for the forthcoming Sunday. The names of the candidates are as follows: Six candidates (including two women) in Tyre namely: Lara Qassem, Dunia Halawi, Hussein Fares, Haidar Fares, Mohamd Saris and Amer Halawi; two candidates (including one woman) in Meys Al Jabal (Ali Nassredine and Zainab Khanafer); Mohamed Walid Assi in Saida; Yussef Tafesh in Nabatieh and Fadia Bazzi in Bint Jbeil. It should be noted that the Citizens group previously nominated 13 persons, among them 8 women, to run in Beirut, Beqaa and Mount Lebanon, two women one from Kfarzebian (Mount Lebanon) and the other from Saghbeen (Beqaa) were successful. The names of all candidates are the following:

- Mount Lebanon: 3 nominees (2 women) distributed as follows: Jalal Khoury in Jounyeh, Claude Burji in Jbeil Byblos and Josephine Zgheib in Kfarzebian.

- Beqaa: 6 nominees (including 5 women) distributed on follows: Hadeel Rifai, Yumna Tofaili and Mirvat Wahbi in Baalbaq; Elisaar Sama7ha in Zahleh, Nasri Sayegh in Mashghara and Ghada Ghanem in Saghbeen.

‎- Beirut: 4 nominees (including 1 women), Charbel Nahas, Ghada Elyafi, George Sfeir, ‎Yasser Sarout.‎