Other news

The Daily Star published in its issue of October 30 a briefing of the regional seminar on forced child marriages which pointed to a considerable and worrying rise in early marriages of girls, particularly among Syrian refugees. The seminar ‘Early marriage of girls amidst transition to democracy and armed conflicts’ was organized in Beirut by the Arab Institute for Human Rights in Lebanon and ABAAD association. Participants agreed that the phenomenon of early marriage is an appalling violation of the human rights of girls depriving them of their fundamental rights, namely the right to life, health, education and freedom of choice. They warned this could seriously threaten the well-being and life of both the underage mother and her unborn child/children, in addition to negatively impacting the immediate family, society, and the unwanted human and economic costs that slacken any chances of development.

According to United Nations 2014 statistics, nearly 18% of Syrian refugee girls covered by the survey have married before reaching 18. Similarly, the World Health Organization warned of the biological risks of early pregnancy pointing to the medical implications as being a leading cause of death among girls between 15-19 years. It also noted a 50% increase in the mortality rate of newborns from mothers under 20 years against mothers who became pregnant when they were 20 years and above. (The Daily Star, October 30, 2015)

 

The United Nations and the Arab League of States jointly launched yesterday ‘Our Future’ initiative which serves as a social media platform for dialogue among Arab youth about their future visions and challenges of development in their local communities and their countries at large. According to a UN statement, the main beneficiaries of the project are young Arabs between 18-40. The topics for dialogue are the following: equal opportunities between the sexes, eradication of hunger and extreme poverty, impact of climate change on development, the interrelation between poverty and hunger on the one hand and corruption, extremism and weakening economic performance on the other. Other themes include identity and citizenship, sectarianism and pluralism, as well as the role of youth volunteering and participation in achieving above goals. (Al Mustaqbal, November 10, 2015)

 

Within the framework of protecting the Lebanese workforce and cutting down on foreign competition, the Labor Minister Sajaan Azzi issued yesterday a new circular demanding the compliance of corporate and private sector institutions as such. The circular stipulates that a company bringing in foreign workers should present appropriate evidence at the various Ministry’s departments that it has tried but failed to recruit Lebanese employees. The concerned company should receive a relevant certificate from the National Employment Office proving it had advertised the need for Lebanese workers in the required profession in three local newspapers. The wanted job, however, should not be listed in the annual announcement issued by the Labor Minister defining the professions limited to Lebanese nationals. (As Safir, An Nahar, Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, November 10, 2015)

 

The ‘Search for Common Ground’ organization is planning to launch so-called ‘Your Right is a Guarantee for your Family’ campaign to raise awareness among women on their rights in social security and introduce amendments to relevant legislations, according to An Nahar’s issue last Saturday. The activity set for November 12 comes to warn of the prejudiced behavior against women in benefitting from the social security fund. The prevailing law gives the spouse the right to unconditional coverage of his partner in illness or maternity, while the insured wife can only cover her husband when he is over 60 or has a handicap. The above campaign, to be noted, is part of a larger project, ‘Everybody Wins: the Economic and Social Empowerment of Women in Lebanon’ funded by the US-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and implemented by SFCG in partnership with Alef- Act for Human Rights. The project is carried out with the collaboration of 9 associations namely, the Progressive Women’s Union, Smart Center for Media and Advocacy, Nahar al Chabab, ABAAD, Amel Foundation International, CARITAS Lebanon-Migrants’ Center, the Committee for the Follow-up of Women’s Issues, the Lebanese organization for Studies and Training and the Women’s Union Association for Workers in the North. (An Nahar, November 7, 2015)

 

The Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering in cooperation with the Social Sciences Institute at the Lebanese University- Al Kobba, presented last Saturday an interactive theatre on women’s quota entitled ‘Politics for Men… Why not for Us’. The activity comes as part of the ‘Civil Mobilization and Advocacy for Electoral Reform’ program. Speaking on the occasion, Nariman Chamaa, the Program’s coordinator in the North stressed the need for such quota as a transitional measure until after women win an impartial representation in elected councils. In the same vein, the Social Sciences School Director Dr. Ghassan Khaled, emphasized the importance of promoting awareness in the community to this end. Towards the end, LWDG member participants performed the interactive show to demonstrate the women’s quota theme. (An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, November 9, 2015)

 

In response to placing the law for reinstating citizenship to Lebanese descendants of immigrants on the agenda of the Parliamentary session for enforcement by necessity, following sustained  pressure by the National Patriotic Front and the Lebanese Forces blocs, the ‘Nationality is a Right for Me and My Family’ campaign staged on November 4 a sit-in at the entrances of the Grand Serail and the Parliament in Downtown Beirut. Protesters expressed their opposition to any endorsement of above draft law until after Lebanese women gain their full rights in granting nationality to their families.

Speaking in the name of the Campaign and women and families concerned, Karima Chebbo voiced denunciation of any measure that substantiates the discretionary system of rights. She flatly refused the sanctioning of the subject citizenship law before women “who struggled for years” seize their full rights “without discrimination.” Protestors also appealed to the various parties and political groups to mobilize efforts to submit their campaign’s “demand on the schedule of priorities of the Dialogue and relevant House sessions so as to guarantee full and undivided equality between Lebanese men and women.”

During the protest, Mariam Ghazal, speaking on behalf of women participants, said that “women were not against giving nationality to Lebanese expatriates, however, women should be treated fairly and reclaim their fundamental rights as such.” She urged Lebanese women to hold officials in the electoral committees accountable for that. Likewise, Lawyer Iqbal Doughan who heads the Lebanese Working Women’s League, pointed out that according to the draft law for restoration of citizenship, a woman will remain deprived of the right to grant nationality to her family members, unlike her male partner who will enjoy this right.

 

In its issue of 29 October, l’Orient le Jour spoke with the Assistant General Manager heading the Strategic Development and Financial Management Group at BLC bank, Tanya Mousallem who was nominated last September as the Vice President of the International banking Coalition for Women.  The interview sought to know about Mousallem’s new activities in economic empowerment.  To be noted that Mousallem produced several innovative programmes which empower women to develop their businesses and benefit from banking services and products targeting them. During the interview, Mousallem noted that her new appointment is an international recognition of the success of the Women’s Empowerment Initiative which was launched by the BLC Bank.  Mousalllem added that women are good clients as they do not borrow much.  She added that the total of small and medium loans are 40% less when granted to women. Mousallem concluded by saying that the study entitled “Lebanese and Money” implemented by the Bassel Fleihan Financial Institute, showed that women are better business planners. (L’Orient le Jour, 6 November 2016)

 

The House of Parliament organized jointly with the Arab Institute for Parliamentary Training and Legislative Studies and the Westminster Democracy Foundations a conference entitled Strengthening Equality and Women’s Rights in the penal code.  The event took place yesterday at the Parliamentary library and coincided with the meeting of the Parliamentary Coalition of the Arab World to challenge violence against women.  The meeting focused on several gaops in the letter of the law in many Arab countries namely the clauses which ensure impunity to rapists who marry their victims.  The conference called on condemning and revoking such clauses.  The conference also called on the Presidency of the Arab parliamentary Coalition to support all Arab parliaments in prioritizing the reform of their penal codes.  The main recommendations of the event included building bridges and support between civil society, MPs and public opinion so that advances can be made to finish with the clause guaranteeing impunity of rapists, as well as fighting stereotypes which condemn the victims of such acts.  The Conference also condemned Israeli aggression acts as well as the arbitrary execution of girls and children whilst requesting the international community to bear responsibility for such crimes.  The Conference also condemned the terrorist and criminal acts carried out by ISIS against humanity and against women and children. (Al Mustakbal, 6 November 2015)

 

The five winners of the L’Oreal- UNESCO For Women in Science Award 2015, Levant and Egypt Fellowships, stressed that challenges women face in the field of scientific research are harder compared to men, for some still see women as just ‘housewives’, while some higher education and research institutions give preference to men. The five Laureates who were honored on October 23 at the American University of Beirut, agreed that scientific research in the Arab world is impeded by certain hurdles, chiefly, the scarcity of resources, financial aid and a supportive incubator, and over and above, the unstable security and political situation in the region. For his part, Secretary General of the Government-run National Council for Scientific Research, Professor Mouin Hamzeh who headed the jury, noted a disparity in the ratio of women researchers between Arab states. He maintained that the biggest challenge facing PHD graduates lies in finding jobs besides college teaching, mainly in the productive development sectors. The five prize winners are Dr. Hiba Hajj (Lebanon), Dr. Ramya Bikaayn (Jordan), Dr. Intisar Majbali (Iraq), Dr. Abir Kotati (Gaza-Palestine) and Dr. Nashwa Bandari (Egypt). (As Safir, October 23, 2015)