News updates

The Syndicate for Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night Clubs and Pastries in Lebanon held a meeting yesterday in Beirut at its Ain Mreiseh premises in the presence of two women board members, Maya Bakhaizi and Mireille Hayek and some 20 other business women active in the catering sector. The meeting which was headed by the syndicate’s head, Toni Rami, outlined the achievements since the election of its new board of directors and highlighted the advantages and benefits of membership. At the end of the meeting, Bakhaizi and Hayek underscored the importance of women’s active participation in the life of the industry “particularly if they were successful on par with men.” They went on to say that presently a large number of restaurants are run by women entrepreneurs, noting that membership in the syndicate will assist in boosting its performance and will enable them to achieve their demands. (Al Diyar, Febraury 2, 2016)

 

L’Orient Le Jour newspaper highlighted the Distant Learning and Pedagogical Innovation (ADIP) project which will become accessible to Masters students at Saint Joseph University (USJ) and the Open Arab University (OAU) particularly those majoring in bank management, IT engineering, and hotel and hospital management, starting the current month of February. The project which is run by the Middle East Office of the Agency of Francophone Universities (AUF) aims to transform traditional curricula to match the needs of the labor market and to develop a communication network between universities and companies. On this subject, Nathalie Bitar, the regional project coordinator, told L’Orient Le Jour that the project idea emerged from the fact that university education does not always equip graduates in their search for jobs, particularly that employers and business owners require particular skilled and qualified personnel. This, Bitar explained is often not available because of the out-dated university curricula that have not been updates to meet the needs of the current labor market. According to Bitar, ADIP will seek to assess students skills by developing a chart for each student that will allows him/her to record the particular know-how and knowledge gained during her/his years of study, like for example, training. She underlined the importance of strong direct communication between students and instructors and urgently called for the passing of a national legislation that promotes distance learning. 

L’Orient Le Jour, January 29, 2016

 

Notwithstanding the refusal of the Labor Minister (MoL), Sajaan Azzi, to legally approve the formation of the trade union of migrant women domestic workers (MWDW), members of the union celebrated yesterday its first year in the Beirut suburb of Dekwaneh. Tens of women workers from different nationalities gathered to reiterate their demand for basic rights, particularly their right to end the sponsorship (Kafala) system. According to Al Akhbar newspaper, the new trade union succeeded in promoting awareness and mobilizing workers on their rights. Speaking to the newspaper, workers expressed pride in this accomplishment which has become a legal reference for them. Maryan, from Senegal, said the Union is a strong support system which allows her and other workers to communicate and manage their problems as they arise. She noted however, that things will not change immediately but gradually, and that this year shall witness a number of adjustments. Aminata, on the other hand, said “the union has demonstrated to us that the work conditions we have been putting up with were not proper, but we did not have a platform to articulate our grievances.” As for plans for this year, the newspaper pointed out to the cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development through a 3-year ‘Support and Empowerment of MWDW’ project that will aim to build the mobilisation capacities of members. Meanwhile, the head of the National Federation of Trade Unions, Castro Abdallah, stressed that the MWDW union has proved itself after all, prompting the Minister of Labor to take stricter actions, to close down agencies in violation of the law while paving the way to seriously tackling the critical question of human trafficking.

Al Akhbar February 1, 2016

 

Mohammad She3ayb Foundation (MCF), a philanthropic association involved in health, education and women empowerment, and led by oncology researcher Dr. Nadia She3ayb, announced that it will soon launch an international directory of social responsibility initiatives, vocational contacts and support programs. Sociality, as its name suggests, is a professional social media site that has been specially designed to build bridges between the business world and societal or community based organizations. This will be achieved through giving registered members an opportunity to publish and document relevant activities and projects, as well as set up a professional communication network for involved companies and associations. For more insight, Dr. She3ayb said that the aim of Sociality is “to allow charities to communicate with the business establishments on the basis of transparency and to the advantage of communities who seriously need help and empowerment”. The service will be available on the internet in the forthcoming month of March. (The Daily Star, January 28, 2016)

 

The Francophone University Agency (AUF)-Middle East Office organized yesterday a meeting to review the projects implemented by French-speaking academic associations in Lebanon. Present at the event which took place in Beirut were university institutions, researchers, academics and experts in pre-college education. Participants stressed the Francophone values that as they all agreed are not confined to teaching the French language, but also to spread the principles of human rights, democracy and the respect for cultural and linguistic diversity.

 

On the occasion, the programs officer at the ‘creative and scientific section’, Mireille Rassy, outlined the initiative supported by the Agency, which addresses social and humanitarian issues in the region, women in particular. Similarly, the structural projects’ officer Nathalie Bitar, gave an overview of the series of seminars that were organised as part of the project and which aimed at linking higher education with the needs of the private sector for specialized and skilled workforce. She also pointed out to another implemented project that linked tourism and cultural heritage. Towards the end, the AUF, in coordination with Berytech represented by Sammy Abu Jaoudeh, handed the ‘Francophone Women Award in the Investment World 2015’ to Stephanie Hanna. Hanna won the first prize for her project ‘your name’ and Aline Gemayel came second for her furniture related project. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, January 28 2016)

 

 

Al Akhbar newspaper shed light yesterday on an electronic campaign launched recently which calls out sexism and objectification of women in advertising and sarcastically criticizes the use of images that exploit women to this end. WomenNotObjects viral video on Youtube aimed at changing the way ad companies portray women to promote their products. Highlighting the spread of gender-based discrimination and the objectification of women in reality, the clip shows a group of women carrying pictures of advertisements by well-known companies or similar posts on social media networks that sexualize women to sell more. It underlines the message to be addressed in a sarcastic manner so that it looks distasteful.

The Ad executive is Madonna Badger, co-founder and chief creative director of Badger Land Winters agency. Badger in an interview with Wall Street Journal pointed out that her enthusiasm to produce the video is in part a tribute to her daughters who in 2011 were burned to death as fire erupted inside their house. She went on to say that she is trying to alter these kinds of suggestive ads that are harmful to young women and can undermine their self-esteem and self-confidence. (Al Akhbar, January 27, 2016)

In collaboration with the Center for Development Services at the Ministry of Social Affairs, the UNIFIL Italian battalion organized a workshop on Italian cuisine in the southern city of Tyre which mainly targeted a number of women in the region. Commenting on the event, the Ministry’s Tyre sector director, Ghassan Abu Jahjah, said the course is beneficial to the locals as it helps them to better integrate with the UNIFIL forces operating in the area. One Italian officer in charge,  pointed out that the practical workshop organised by the office for military civil cooperation, comes as part of the ongoing cultural exchange between the people and Italian soldiers serving in UNIFIL. (Al Mustaqbal, January 23, 2016)

 

The National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) met yesterday at its premises in the Beirut suburb of Baabda to evaluate last year’s achievements and to discuss its priorities for 2016. The meeting led by NCLW vice-chairperson, Randa Berri, with the participation of PM’s wife, Lama Tamam Salam, was devoted to the discussion of proposed priorities, notably the adoption of a national work plan guiding the implementation of the UN Council Resolution 1325/2000 on women, peace and security and the promotion of knowledge on women’s human rights among judicial staff workers. NCLW also tackled a number of issues, including: regulating the work of migrant women domestic workers, publishing information related to the final recommendations issued by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations Against Women (CEDAW), women’s political participation and the right of the Lebanese women to grant nationality to their children. In conclusion, the Commission ratified the 2015 financial report and approved the 2016 budget.

An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, January 26, 2016

 

Through a joint initiative of Islamic Welfare Charity Institutions, and Imam Hussein Mosque, the “Mother’s sewing workshop” was founded in Saida in 1996 with the aim to teach girls and widows the art of needlecraft and seam stressing. In a feature published today, Al Mustaqbal newspaper shed some lights on this special workspace while interviewing the chair of the board of trustees, Hani Abu Zainab, who stressed that the aim of the endeavor is to empower women economically and socially through helping them to acquire an income generating profession. Abu Zainab went on to say that the workshop has since its inception expanded to cover the production of Umra and Hajj pilgrimage costumes and winter uniforms for students and underprivileged children. With the influx of Syrian refugees into the southern capital and suburbia, work began on a new sophisticated construction project, and a 1680 square meter land was purchased to this end in the East Saida suburb of Bramiyeh. According to the newspaper, the project was launched with financial assistances from ‘Qatar Charity’ and ‘Human Appeal International-UK’ foundations so as to accommodate a larger number of Syrian women refugees. The centre was equipped to train some 25 girls and women every year, as well as to educate and provide jobs for about 40 Lebanese, Palestinian and displaced Syrian women. The project also included the creation of a charity market that displays new and used clothing for disadvantaged families. (Al Mustaqbal, January 26, 2016)