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First women's football league in Saudi Arabia

27-2-2020

Saudi Arabia announced on February 24 the launch of the first Women’s Football League (WFL) planned to open the season next month in three cities, after the provision of football fields was completed. The league will reportedly be managed by fully organizational and technical teams. On this development, the president of the Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA), Khaled bin Walid Al Saud, disclosed that three matches will take place in Riyadh, Dammam and Jedda, and will include preliminary rounds in each of these cities to the end of forming the teams before moving on to the semi-finals. For her part, SFA CEO, Chaimaa Husseini, pointed out that women’s empowerment is basically achieved through the implementation of similar programs, like the WFL which has constructive impact on women’s health and physical fitness. “In the SFA, we are committed to placing women as our priority mission with the aim to cultivate a healthy and active society in the Kingdom,” Husseini said, adding, “We shall continue to involve stakeholders in the public and private sectors to realize this goal together.” (An Nahar, February 27, 2020)

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Hollywood famous producer guilty of rape, sexual assault

26-2-2020

Oscar-winning Harvey Weinstein, 76, was found on Monday guilty of rape and sexual abuse and is facing up to 29 years in prison. The conviction came after a group of Hollywood stars accused him of molesting them in 2017 (https://bit.ly/2VrinlN). The ruling is reportedly the culmination of a lengthy trial which began on January 6 and included the hearing of testimonies from 6 women who alleged that the Pulp Fiction producer has sexually harassed them over the past three decades. Commenting on the verdict, Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment initiated by Hollywood celebrities, issued a statement in which president and CEO, Tina Tchen, said, "This trial and the jury's decision today represent a new era of justice, not only because they are important to break the silence around such assaults, but also to give hope to survivors of harassment and abuse at the workplace.” (An Nahar, February 26, 2020)

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Report on female candidates in 2018 elections

26-2-2020

UN Women yesterday launched a report entitled, ‘Seeking to achieve equality in rights and representation: Encounters with women nominated for parliamentary elections in 2018’. The launch was made during a meeting organized in partnership with ESCWA and UNDP under the slogan, ‘Pushing forward under the leadership of women in Lebanon and the Arab world’. On the above report, UN Women clarified in a statement that in late 2018 and early 2019, the Organization has talked to around 75 women candidates for the parliamentary elections of 2018. Around 89% of them mentioned that their priority, in the event of winning, will focus on pushing forward with reform in the area of women’s rights, followed by the rights of youth and combating corruption, the statement said. In addition, the report showed that the majority of them were nominated as independents or on the civil society electoral lists. Nearly 68% of them, also according to the report, are politically experienced, younger and better educated compared to their male counterparts. Female candidates faced many challenges, notably financial constraints, and a difficulty in exposure on local media, as well as gender-based discrimination, the UN Women statement concluded. Likewise, the head of the Organization in Lebanon, Rachel Dore-Weeks, explained that in light of the calls for new elections, it is crucial to figure out how to overcome the existing gender barriers on the institutional, legal and social levels, which prevent equal representation of women in decision making and in politics. (NNA, February 25, 2020)

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Joint projects for women, youth between labor ministry and World Bank

25-2-2020

The minister of labor, Lamia Yammine, discussed yesterday a delegation of the World Bank led by Lead Social Protection, Jobs and Gender Specialist at WB, Hanin Sayed, ways of cooperation in issues related to women, youth and social security. Following the meeting, Sayed said discussion touched on a number of topics. These include: women empowerment in the labor market, how to support the ministry in facing challenges related to youth unemployment amidst the precarious economic and financial conditions in Lebanon, and concerns about the financing of Social Security Fund, with emphasis on the priority of reforms in the Fund. The World Bank, Sayed disclosed, has been working for a while on a draft pension and social protection law currently debated in the Legislature. (An Nahar, February 25, 2020)
 

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International Feminist Festival in Beirut

25-2-2020

The French Institute of Lebanon, Joumana Haddad Freedoms Center, the Arab Institute for Women, Lebanon Support and the Sciences PO Institute at USJ are organizing the first edition of the International Feminisms Festival in Beirut. This exceptional 4-day event will take place at the French Institute from February 27 to March 1 with the aim to activate feminist debate not only in Lebanon or the Arab world, but also globally. The festival will host panel discussions for speakers from 9 Arab countries, as well as Canada and France, in addition to theatrical performances and music. It will be a review or women’s status and the history of feminism pending the launch of the future editions that are planned to target specific topics or issues. The mastermind and co-partner of the project, Joumana Haddad, told An Nahar that the festival is not about celebrating women, as is usually the case before the International Women’s Day, but to shed light on the challenges and shortcomings that involve women. (An Nahar, February 24, 2020)
 

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Call for national strike in Mexico to protest violence against women

25-2-2020

Following the angry protests in Mexico sparked by the murder of 25-year-old woman by her husband (https://bit.ly/32metMt), activists and human rights campaigners called for a first national strike by women on March 9 under the slogan “On the ninth of March, nobody moves 9”. This comes to protest the escalating incidence of femicide in Mexico. Many officials and politicians, including the President of the country and members of Congress, supported the strike. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, commented during his daily press conference: “Let women demonstrate. They have the right to do so. They are free and our government guarantees the right to have differences.” He stressed that the protestors’ safety will be assured. Worth mentioning that according to official data, Mexico recorded some 1006 femicides during 2019 alone, at nearly 136% increase from 2015. (An Nahar, February 22, 2020)

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National campaign against early marriage

24-2-2020

On February 21, Mousawat-Wardah Botros, the League for Lebanese Women’s Rights, FENASOL and Al Najdah Association organized a meeting to promote ‘The National Campaign for the Protection of Women from Violence and Early Marriage’. The event comes as part of ‘Empowering the Lebanese and refugee women in Lebanon to practice their rights to eliminate discrimination and violence against women’ program. The latter to note, is supported by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD), in partnership and collaboration with Social Promotion Foundation (FPS) and the Catalan Agency for Peace (ACP). The project coordinator, Samir Diab, considered early marriage a crime against childhood and humanity, criticizing the confessional personal status laws that foster it. He also touched on the discriminatory nationality law that deprives the Lebanese woman from conferring citizenship to her children. To close, proposals were made to the end of protecting women against discrimination, violence and early marriage, notably the following: mobilizing public opinion to the enactment of a unified personal status law that sets the age of marriage at 18 for females and males equally; continue to raise awareness in the regions on the rights of women and the risks of early marriage on both minors and society at large, and finally, a call for cooperation with municipalities to practice their role in promoting the culture of women’s rights. (NNA, February 21, 2020)

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Women’s empowerment project in Jabal Mohsen

24-2-2020

As part of ‘Supporting Projects and Women’s Empowerment’ program, and in partnership with the Union of Relief and Development Associations, Al Dar Al Ali Association organized on February 21 a meeting for a number of Jabal Mohsen’s women at Ahmad Darwish Hall in Tripoli. The head of Al Dar Al Ali, Alissar Barakat, explained that the program aims to promote the role of women in society and is a call for empowering their capabilities to get productive. The dire economic conditions in Lebanon, Barakat maintained, impels us to direct efforts to production and to strengthening and propping domestic economy. She said needs have outpaced individual and local capacities, hence requiring a synergy and networking of all potentials, as well as the active involvement of major institutions in the country. In conclusion, Barakat stressed the pivotal role played by women, as partners in society, in economic and social recovery. Lebanese Women, she said, should assume their role in a more drastic way in order to impact public affairs and prevent any roadblocks to their presence and advancement. (NNA, February 21, 2020)

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Women film festival opens in Beirut

24-2-2020

For the third year in a row, the Beirut Film Society organizes the Beirut International Women Film Festival (BWFF) at Casino du Liban, Dbayeh with an opening film, “Women for Leadership”. The festival, March 8-10, which gathers local and international filmmakers and cinema lovers, will screen short and feature length films. In addition to sideline sessions discussing women’s rights and gender equality with the aim to promote the culture of women empowerment. Recalling, that BWFF concurs with the Beirut International Children and Family Film which takes place at ABC Complex in Dbayeh north of the capital, Beirut. (NNA, February 22, 2020)

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FAO supports women groups in Deir A7hmr

21-2-2020

During its field trip to Deir Ahmar on February 18, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) met members of women-run cooperatives and associations participating in ‘Raedat El Reef’ project managed by FAO and generously funded by the Government of Canada. According to a FAO statement, this is first of its kind tour within the above project which is anticipated to resume its activities with women cooperatives across Lebanon during this year. The above project, the FAO statement said, provides a social and cultural environment to promote women economically and increase prospects for coops run by them. It promotes their contribution to the local economy cycle through the setting up and the development of income generating enterprises in the agri-food sector. The statement also mentioned that around 250 similar coops and associations shall benefit from the project aimed to educate communities about the roles and rights of women through gender equality awareness campaigns, and the prevention against gender-based violence. In addition, beneficiaries will get training on topics related to the management of cooperatives. (NNA, February 19, 2020)

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