News updates

The local media briefly reported yesterday the news of a migrant domestic worker, Sri Lankan national, who has fallen from a building in the Saida neighborhood of Sharhabil and was rushed by the Red Cross to Hamshari Hospital. As usual, security forces arrived at the scene and started investigation. On the other hand, on June 9, the body of a young woman, W.H.S (born in 1998) was found inside an agricultural warehouse in Rashi’n-Keserwan. After examining the body by a forensic doctor, a Civil Defense squad transferred it to Haj Hospital in Ashqout. (Al Mustaqbal, June 9, 10, 2019)
 

In its Saturday’s issue, Al Akhbar daily shed light on ‘Rural Women Pioneers’ project by FAO, in cooperation with the ministry of agriculture and funding by the Canadian Government (USD 5 million). Al Akhbar wrote that the primary objective of the 3-year project is to create an enabling social and cultural environment for the economic empowerment of women. The implementation of the project will reportedly contribute to increasing the participation of women-led associations and coops in the local and rural economies and to setting up or expanding income-generating food enterprises. According to Al Akhbar, 150 out of 250 women agricultural cooperatives and associations will be selected based on specific criteria. Supposedly, around 150 of these coops in Lebanon shall receive a USD 5 million grant. According to the project, cooperatives or women associations will benefit from the capacity building and technical support, which will lead to the restructuring of the cooperative sector, while reviving existing cooperatives and associations or developing new ones. In addition, after three years of training, selected cooperatives and associations will receive a grant of $ 8,000 each and a work vouchers for refugees (working Syrian refugees women). At the end, the newspaper criticized the project, noting that in practice, nearly 76% of the grant will be used up for salaries, training, travel and operating expenses over the three-year period. The remaining amount of the coops’ share (intended for employing Syrian women refugees), shall not ultimately exceed USD 8,000 for each by the end of the project. (For more, kindly refer to the link below: https://bit.ly/2I6L4gQ
Al Akhbar, June 8, 2019
 

In its issue of May 31, Al Akhbar daily brought to light the ‘phone of trust’ hotline started on November 25, 2007 by the Good Shepherd Sisters in Baba Touma to help women victims of domestic violence. The newspaper wrote, that the hotline launched on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, serves as a link connecting women victims of domestic violence with the Good Shepherd. It is accessible through a public number on the following page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrustLine.GSS/. According to Al Akhbar, first thing, the caller contacts the ‘administrator of the case’, followed by a petition or form prepared for each case separately. The form is referred to a social or psychological worker, who shall take the proper decision accordingly. This can be done through over-phone counselling or personal consultation at the center. The legal advisor of the ‘phone of trust’, lawyer Saniya Yousef, told the newspaper that the monastery is an oasis for women exposed to violence or homelessness reaching the center from the different Syrian governorates or from outside Syria. The monastery, Yousef explained, provides them with shelter and social as well as psychological support, and helps solve their problems through empowerment by teaching them certain professions. (Al Akhbar, May 31, 2019)

The stories of custody of children seem to be never-ending at the Sharia courts, Al Akhbar daily reported on Saturday. The newspaper reminded its readers, that not a long time ago, Khadija Naif was jailed at Gobeiri police station for trying to see her children. Two years before, Fatmeh Hamzeh, went to prison for refusing to hand her only son to his father. And today, Hana Awada, a mother of three, is witnessing a similar fate, through a ruling issued by the Jaafari Court that reportedly deprived her of her right to her children, the newspaper said. In the details, according to Al Akhbar, it all started two years ago, when Awada won a verdict to divorce her Iraqi husband, Omar Mashhadani. Earlier, Awada filed for divorce at the Al A’azamia Personal Status Court in Baghdad and won the right of custody of her children. She carried the Iraqi verdict to the Beirut Court of Appeal where it was given an executive power substantiating the custody of her children. Unfortunately, Al Akhbar concluded, the enveloping happiness the mother felt was stolen by the Jaafari Court which ordered her to hand over her three kids to their father, upon the latter’s request.  (Al Akhbar, June 1, 2019)

The Military Tribunal headed by Brigadier General Hussein Abdallah yesterday ruled in the case of ISF Anti-Cybercrime Bureau officer Suzanne Haj and hacker Elie Ghabash, on charges of framing actor Ziad Itani as an Israeli spy (https://lkdg.org/node/18082). The court unanimously voted to acquit Haj for the lack of incriminating evidence against her, and convicted her of withholding information sentencing her to 2 month imprisonment and a fine of LL200,000. Meanwhile, the hacker Ghabash was sentenced to three years of hard labor reduced to one year in prison for fabricating the case against Itani, noting that both were released on time served. In its analysis of the verdict, Al Akhbar newspaper said the ruling was not the issue, but the performance of the public prosecutor, represented by top military prosecutor Peter Germanos. The latter, Al Akhbar wrote, who is supposed to act as the state commissioner in prosecution of the defendants, has intervened to defend Haj, but from a discriminatory macho attitude against women. He noted that the ISF officer was in the middle of a scuffle with her leadership, which is uneasy, and twice as disturbing for being a woman! Germanos said Ghabash has come up with the Itani spying case idea, and went on to defend Haj in a exhaustive intervention. He refused to involve her in the offense, saying that she stood idly by, not more! Moreover, he lauded Haj’s professionalism in duty and her proficiency in detecting IT crimes. Recalling, that in a court ruling last February 7, Haj revealed that the Saudi Intelligence asked for her dismissal from the ISF because she liked a controversial tweet mocking Saudi women. She pointed out that she was interrogated to this effect, mentioning a request from the Saudi Intelligence to the ISF Directorate advising that she steps down and be punished. http://lkdg.org/node/18228. (Al Akhbar, Annahar and Al Diyar 31 May 2019)
 

British pilot, Amanda Harrison, taxied in Beirut on May 28 coming from Cyprus on a solo trip from London to Darwin, Australia. Amanda’s ‘Nothing is Impossible’ motto of the flight covers 23 countries, including Lebanon, with inspiring messages to women, as well as to cancer and dyslexia patients. A delegation from the ministry of state for the economic empowerment of women and youth welcomed the British pilot at Beirut Airport. Amal Elias, representing minister Violete Safadi, said Harrison’s trip coincides with the ministry’s goals to empower women and young people, pointing out that the British pilot is a breast cancer survivor and has launched her trip to be an inspiration for every woman around the world. Harrison for her part, addressed women saying: “Never let anything stand in the way of realizing your dreams.” She described Lebanese women as wonderful and audacious and who may have difficulties but are capable of doing anything, as she said. “I hope that I have encouraged women to go after their dream, and promoted them in the aviation industry.” (An Nahar, May 31, 2019)
 

The ministry of labor announced in a statement yesterday that, as part of combating violations of the rights of migrant domestic workers, and based on investigations on reported cases of abuse, it has begun as of February 2019, to develop a blacklist with the names of employers that investigations prove to be involved in abuse and ill-treatment of MWDWs. Accordingly, the statement went on to say, the measure will ban them from using the services of migrant workers, noting that 7 names have been enlisted during the past 3 months. The ministry voiced concern over the repeated incidents of suicide among MWDWs in Lebanon, pointing out that it is scrutinizing each individual case, including legal follow up. The statement revealed that the labor minister, Kamil Abu Sleiman, has formed a committee to determine the motives and reasons behind suicide attempts and ways of reducing them. Recalling, that the total number of dead migrant domestic workers since January is 6 (https://bit.ly/2EHSuVS ). The statement stressed the need to include mental illnesses in the insurance coverage for MWDWs, and concluded by warning that the ministry shall bring violators to justice. (Al Mustaqbal, May 31, 2019)