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Lebanon handed two Lebanese women married to ISIS leaders

4-4-2019

British Intelligence handed to the Lebanese Army two Lebanese women who were married to ISIS leaders, Al Akhbar reported today. The two women arrived at Beirut Airport 3 weeks ago as a result of an arrangement with General Security in Lebanon, the newspaper said, noting that both women were wives of two Lebanese brothers and ISIS leaders before they were killed in Raqa, Syria in battles with the US Military. Recalling, that the UK has issued a decision to strip citizenship of Shamima Begum who left London four years back to join ISIS in Syria (c.f :https://bit.ly/2uJka7h( as well as two British Pakistani sisters (c.f: https://bit.ly/2Ue2kIT). (Al Akhbar, April 4, 2019)

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Jordan: First amendment of Christian personal status law and a new call for gender equality

4-4-2019

Christian communities in Jordan embarked on drastic changes to the personal status law to address loopholes that are in conflict with the interests of the family. This step is considered the first since the promulgation of the first Christian personal status law in the Byzantine era, according to the local Ammon news agency yesterday. The adjustments that are being deliberated by specialized committees of lawyers, jurists and priests, will reportedly review issues related to inheritance, child custody, alimony and age of marriage. There is a tendency towards establishing equality in inheritance between men and women, as well as the inheritance of the daughters and wife in the absence of the son. On the subject, Jordanian Greek Orthodox Bishop Christophores Atallah, explained that the Greek Orthodox Church has formed a legal commission to modernize and update Church laws, including the personal status law especially in relation to marriage. He revealed that the amendments will be ratified in the Synod within two months. Atallah said the current bills are outdated and are no longer compatible or applied, noting that the aim is to achieve a modern personal status law commensurate with challenges facing the Christian family nowadays. In a related vein, Human Rights Watch called on the Jordanian Legislature, which will discuss amendments to the above law, to ban child marriage and approve full gender equality in marriage, divorce and inheritance. The organization stressed that Jordan should seize the opportunity to prevent marriage of minors and observe, without exception, the minimum age of marriage at 18. (Al Diyar, April 4, 2019 )

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State of Arab women: persecution, violence, displacement, poverty and exploitation

3-4-2019

Below is a sample of what the media covered in a week brief of distressful situation faced by Arab women:

Saudi Arabia
On March 28, the authorities released 3 out of 11 female human rights activists detained since last May, following mounting international demands for their release (https://bit.ly/2uKGNs6).  Two Saudi sisters have also received an entry visa to an undisclosed country after spending a year hiding in Hong Kong after escaping their family ( https://bit.ly/2UdryH9)
Egypt
An uproar in Cairo after the news of the rape and killing of a student at Al-Azhar University in Upper Egypt, noting that the university denied in a statement the rumors about the incident (https://bit.ly/2OLGfLK).
Lybia
A study conducted by Women’s Refugee Commission indicated that, during their journey through the Sahara, men and women refugee convoys were abducted by human traffickers, revealing that they were subjected to torture, rape and murder (https://bit.ly/2FVJWf4).
Syria
According to a survivor from ISIS, her suffering did not stop immediately after her escape from her oppressor, but that society punished her as well in light of the negative opinion about girls surviving from the terrorist organization, which bluntly equates or confuses rape victims with prostitutes. (https://bit.ly/2TXwiMg).
Sudan
Female demonstrators got angry after the Sudanese professionals Association proposed that people should take to the streets in a clean up campaign instead of the protest set for March 9, with a special address to women, who are concerned with similar cleaning chores in particular. This sparked anger among female participants who lashed out protesting, ‘We are not street sweepers’, noting that over 70% of demonstrators who took to the streets since early December were women. (https://bit.ly/2UaPg6Z)
Morocco
On March 28, the Free Feminist Union in Morocco launched the so-called "Safe Place" initiative, involving partnerships signed with cafes, shops and public places, in several regions across Morocco, in preparation to streamlining and spreading the word. The initiative requires that concerned people in those locations confront any occurrences of violence or harassment. (https://bit.ly/2FNDpBF) . (Al Diyar, March 28, 29, 30, 31, April 3, 2019)
 

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New Women Economic Participation Project in Lebanon

3-4-2019

The Women’s Economic Participation project, implemented by UNDP in partnership with the ministry of social affairs, and with the support from Canadian government, was launched yesterday in Beirut. The 3-year program (March 2019 to March 2022) will benefit around 3 thousand Lebanese and Syrian women who will complete special technical training courses combined with on the job training in accordance with the labor law. In the program, around 3000 Lebanese and Syrian women will participate in specialized and targeted training programs; 12 women-led startups and 40 SMEs and cooperatives also run by women will receive the required support; 20 municipalities will actively participate in local economic development activities supportive of female economic participation; 100,000 men and women will partake in advocacy and awareness campaigns. During the launch ceremony, UNDP officer Sawsan Nurallah, stressed that the main hitch is the difficulty of access to economic resources and property ownership, the lack of employment opportunities and the lack of a friendly environment which backs economically productive women, in addition to the constant need to adjust laws to promote gender equality. The project, Nurallah went on to say, focuses on enhancing the skills and know-how on and off work, getting access to resources and how to make appropriate decisions to the end of empowering women. The project, she concluded, has direct effective results, including choosing the best sectors for economic integration; empowering integration in non-conventional occupations and the creation of prospects for the development of personal skills to ensure the independence of women beneficiaries. The event also saw an initial presentation of the results of the study, "Gender-Sensitive Value Chains: Challenges and Opportunities". The study will be released by the project, as an added value by selecting 12 sectors that facilitate the economic empowerment of women, and they involve fresh fruits and vegetables, potato, oregano, Frikeh, honey and dairy cattle, as well as repairing and restoring old houses after the approval of the rental law.(An Nahar, April 3, 2019)

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Lebanese women confer their nationality only when the father in “unknown”

3-4-2019

In its issue of today, Al Akhbar newspaper wrote about granting single Lebanese mothers the right to pass their nationality to their children, backed with the recent circular requiring dropping ‘illegitimate child’ from personal status registries (https://bit.ly/2FJMrj8). Despite the positive inclinations of similar circulars, yet they substantiate discrimination among Lebanese citizens, especially when they restrict the right of Lebanese mothers to grant nationality to their children in one case only: that is when the father is unknown. On the subject, the head of the personal status department in Mount Lebanon, Madona Maria Lahud, pointed out that the Lebanese mother can register her newborn on her name if she gave birth inside or outside Lebanon and was not in a marital relationship, provided the father is unknown. Lahud further explained, that when the mother applies to the registry, the ISF and General Security shall make the necessary investigations to prove she is not in serious relationship with anyone and that she is completely unaware of the identity of the father. Lahud went on to say, that if the father turns out to be Lebanese, the newborn is registered after him if he acknowledges his paternity, otherwise the child is registered after his mother. Scores of Lebanese women, according to Lahud, have registered their children in their names after ensuring there is no sidestepping of the law, noting that Lebanese women married to non-Lebanese can play around with the law in this regard. For her part, lawyer and activist Nayla Geagea regretted that the Lebanese mother can give nationality to her child only if his father was unknown, stating that such conditions confirm again the patriarchal nature of the nationality and personal status laws.(Al Akhbar, April 3, 2019)

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Female soldier sues the US Army over hijab

3-4-2019

A Muslim US female soldier, Cecilia Valdovinos, (26) is planning to sue her brigade commander for allegedly forcing her to remove the hijab in front of her colleagues, according to the British Daily Mail. Supported by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, Valdovinos has reportedly filed a complaint with the Military Equal Opportunity Office against her command Sgt. Major of Fort Carson Brigade in Colorado. Noting, that the sergeant used her authority to remove the soldier’s veil in front of the other soldiers, but the case was rejected on grounds of incomplete evidence. The Daily Mail went on to say, that in June 2018, Valdovinos was permitted to wear hijab while in uniform, but said that later on the hijab instigated hateful action against her and she was named terrorist and ISIS. In turn, Fort Carson brigade issued a statement explaining that the allegations against the officer were not substantiated, concluding that the sergeant has acted in line with Army regulations by enforcing the proper wear of the hijab. Following the rejection of her complaint, Valdovinos said she was demoted from sergeant to specialist, which ensued a significant reduction in her salary. (Al Diyar, April 3, 2019)

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Homosexuality is a human characteristic, not a choice or a disease

2-4-2019

Dr. Omar Fattal, founding member of the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMASH), said homosexuality is a natural diversity in humans. It is neither a choice, nor a mental disorder nor a hormonal imbalance, but a characteristic just like the color of the human eyes, he explained. Fattal was speaking to An Nahar newspaper during the LGBT Health Week held mid-March. Fattal notes that LebMASH was founded to achieve health equality among all the Lebanese, with special focus on the marginalized communities, like LGBTs. The conference was launched with the aim to raise awareness about health and the negative factors affecting it and the provision of medical care for every patient, namely marginalized groups, Fattal maintained. It targeted several groups, including students and health workers on the one hand, and the media on the other, so that the latter can deliver the concept to the society at large. Dr. Fattal criticized Lebanon’s continued criminalization of homosexuality as seen in Article 534 of the Penal Code, despite the establishment by the international medical community and Lebanese medical associations that same sex is neither a disease nor it is against nature. He asked concerned parties to review and hence, repeal the unfair and discriminatory law, which not only not only criminalizes homosexuality, but also discriminates in health issues with all side effects this ensues. One of the most prominent forms of discrimination against LGBTs is the lack of scientific health information and stereotyping against them, Fattal said. (An Nahar, April 2, 2019)

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Lifting of discrimination against women in business

2-4-2019

The National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) announced in a statement yesterday the abolishment by Lebanese Legislature of the discriminatory provisions against women related to bankruptcy as stipulated in the land trade law. Noting, that the Parliament General Assembly, in its extraordinary session on March 6 and 7, 2019, has introduced amendments and added new terms to the said legislation. These include, amendment of the provisos of bankruptcy to the end of ensuring gender equality, particularly in Articles 615 and 625 up to 629. Recalling, former MP Gilbert Zwein, former head of the Committee for Woman and Child, has submitted the draft to end discrimination against Lebanese women, and NCLW adopted it within its national campaign ‘Wayn Ba’dna’ launched back in 2011 to this effect. The full amendments can be found on the link below: https://bit.ly/2HRTtpA. (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, April 2, 2019)

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Women sit-in in Beirut in support of Palestinian women prisoners

2-4-2019

Palestinian Democratic Women’s Organization (NADA), organized a sit-in in front of the ESCWA headquarters in downtown Beirut to mark the 43rd anniversary of Land Day and in support of prisoners in Israeli jails. More than one thousand participants were there, including the coordinator of the Arab Regional Center- the International Women’s Democratic League, Aida Nasrallah, and the head of the Council for Lebanese Women, Iqbal Dughan. Nasrallah on the occasion, condemned the recent Israeli assault on prisoners of Naqab Prison, calling on international human rights groups to act quickly in order to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity. For her part, Dughan stressed the need to provide all forms of support to women and men prisoners in the Israeli jails. Similarly, Khalidat Hussein, on behalf of NADA, appealed to ICRC and involved human rights associations to alleviate the burden of the occupation and stop the atrocities and brutal crimes committed against Palestinian prisoners, particularly in Naqab Prison. Hussein asked the Palestinian Authority to officially complain at the International Criminal Court to this effect. Also, she called for a broad Arab and international solidarity campaign to expose the appalling measures taken by Israeli Occupation against women detainees and pressure for their immediate release. (Al Diyar, April 2, 2019)

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Training in gender and trade policies

1-4-2019

In collaboration with the Center of Arab Woman for Training and Research (CAWTAR), the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) ended on March 30 the regional training workshop on ‘Advocacy and dialogue skills to promote trade and gender policies’. At the close of the five-day event, the head of NCLW and chairman of Arab Women Organization (AWO), Claudine Aoun Rukuz, distributed certificates for participants from Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The aim of the training session was to provide beneficiaries with the necessary tools and know-how in the evidence-based advocacy for change to promote the economic participation of women and their access to local, regional and global commercial markets. Beneficiaries are expected to be able to achieve the following: identify sensitive issues and set the necessary reforms at the level of policies and legislation for an all-inclusive economic empowerment for women; use awareness and media tools and materials produced during advocacy campaigns locally and regionally; create a network and alliance for joint action; consolidate efforts to realize the required change and develop a strategic framework for advocacy and related interventions by selecting the most efficient tools for each country to ensure the desired end. (Al Diyar, March 30, 2019)

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