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Amal Movement Women Affairs Bureau - Beirut Distinct, held a commemoration event to honor mothers and spouses of martyrs and wounded. Speaking at the event which coincides with Mothers’ Day, Randa Berri urged the Lebanese to keep abreast of to all developments seeking to enhance and strengthen the status of women in Lebanon to create awareness about women’s rights. Berri underlined the importance of women’s participation in political life, reiterating her commitment to the adoption of women’s quota in the proposed electoral law under study. (Al Diyar, 25 March 2015)

L’Orient Le Jour published an interview with Rima Fakhry, the only woman member of Hezbollah’s political bureau. The newspaper stated that despite her rare appearances in the media, she actively participates in decision making in the leadership council. Fakhry, who comes from the southern town of Zrarieh, joined Hezbollah in 1985 when she was still an agriculture engineering student at the American University of Beirut because she believed that through Hezbollah she can better serve her town and people. Rima’s early duties were in the education and mobilization sector in the south of the country. Later, she joined the women’s central committee, in 2004, when the Party decided to encourage the participation of women in political life, hence moving up in Hezbollah’s leadership. On this move, she disclosed that the General Secretary, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, told her that her only option is to succeed. Rima admitted that involvement in political work is a major responsibility, particularly since Hezbollah makes strong emphasis on clear and principled vision in political decision making. She recalled once when Sayed Nasrallah stood on her side her against other Party members who voiced opposition to one political position she presented. Fakhry holds a Masters in Political Science and International Affairs from the Lebanese American University and is currently preparing her doctorate in the subject. On a personal note, Rima confesses that her responsibilities are overwhelming and therefore grant her little time to spend with her 4-member family also revealing that her spouse is not affiliated with Hezbollah. (L’Orient Le Jour, 17 March 2015)

A 2009 survey of the Central Administration of Statistics indicated that 77.2% of women against 27.2% of men of working age claim to be not economically active or are not workers or looking for a job. In a male and chauvinist society, and on the occasion of Mothers’ Day, “As Safir” chose to highlight the profile of a number of Lebanese women who were successful in professions traditionally associated with men. Shafiqa Al Haj, a mother of 3 children, is one of them. With the help of her spouse and a bank loan agreed in her own name, she opened a gas station. Given the small size of the loan, Shafiqa had to fully run the station, and forced to do all jobs herself, including filling gas for customers, washing cars, audit and management of staff. Another outstanding lady, Rola Hoteyt, is presently the only woman pilot in Lebanon who believes that a strong personality is necessary for achieving ones dreams and for women to stand up against challenges facing them in life. Zeina Maaluf is a driver of a 50-passenger school bus, who loves her life-fulfilling job because it makes her a responsible and productive person, as she said. However, she traced the reason for her current work occupation to unhelpful circumstances which forced her to drop out from school at an early age. Samira Masri, for her part, is the owner of a car mechanic repair shop in the southern suburb of Beirut. She has steadfastly been working with her husband in a tiring profession that has given her appreciation and recognition as is evident by the long list of customers she cultivated during many years of work. (As Safir, 21 March 2015)

Under the patronage of MP Bahiya Al Hariri, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Saida and the South, inaugurated, in collaboration with the Business Incubation Association, the “2015 Mothers Products” expo at the City’s Exhibition Center. In his words, the Chamber’s President Mohammad Hassan Sale7h reiterated the official body’s commitment to support economic empowerment of Southern women and to provide them with suitable training and mentoring services that will bolster the skills of small business owners. Similarly, MP Hariri said: “The motto  ‘My Mother and My Motherland’ was deliberately chosen to emphasis national and social unity; “a unity in which mothers play a leading role by keeping their family together while preserving their safety, stability, progress and prosperity.” The expo hosted over 60 display stands operated by different civil society organizations from all parts of the South, and showcasing traditional products, such as mooneh, sweets, jams, textiles and other handicrafts. (Al Mustaqbal, 21 March 2015)

My Nationality is a Right for Me and My Family Campaign staged a sit-in yesterday in Riad Al Solh, in downtown Beirut. For that purpose hundreds of participants converged to Riad Solh square from across the country, from the South, the North, Beqaa, Beirut and Mount Lebanon areas. The Regional Coordinator of the Campaign, Lina Abu Habib, stressed “rights are indivisible and are not subject to discriminatory considerations,” describing as pointless the political approach that withholds the rights of citizens in favor of narrow confessional interests. Reconstructing political life along the lines of citizenship, she said, is necessary to attain the rights of citizens. For her part, Member of the Campaign’s Coordinating Committee, Mariam Ghazal, spoke on behalf of the Lebanese mothers involved, saying that the only real gift for Lebanese mothers is to recognize their right in passing the nationality to family members. She added: “This right is not a favor from anyone; in fact it has been abducted.” Finally, she paid a tribute to mothers of martyrs of the Lebanese Army. Activists participating in the sit-in confirmed the need to turn the subject of the Nationality campaign into a public opinion case, like in the case of the law on the protection of women against domestic violence which saw the build up of a network of campaigning organizations, in which the media also played a leading role. Similarly, and in parallel, a second sit-in was organised by the “My Nationality is My Dignity” campaign at the National Museum, during which a young man tore in public his diploma after an unnamed university denied him a grant to follow up post graduate studies for the simple reason that he is a child of a Lebanese mother and a Pakistani father. During that sit-in, the nationality issue of stateless persons or persons whose statuses is under study was also raised. Coordinator of the campaign, Mustafa al Chaar, urged the government to emulate other Arab states who have granted women the right to pass their nationality to their children. In a similar note, the National Council of Lebanese Women (NCLW) issued a statement denouncing the fact that Lebanese mothers are denied the right to pass their nationality to their children based on a law dating back to the year 1925. The Council, officially entrusted with consulting with official departments concerned, urged the government and the parliament to lift this injustice on women. “This can be achieved by enacting a new nationality bill that makes all men and women equal under the citizenship provisions, notwithstanding the nationality of the women’s spouse,” the statement added. (Al Hayat, As Safir, Al Akhbar, An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, 21, 23 March 2015)

The Future Movement’s Women’s Sector in West Beqaa and Rashayya ended its computer training workshop targeting tens of women and Future activists at the premises of the Coordinating Committee Center of FM located in Jib Jnin. The Sector’s Coordinator in West Beqaa, Asmaa Sakhr called for continued efforts to support and train women in line with the FM’s vision, in order to develop women’s political, economic and social situation. She indicated the current political turmoil engulfing the region forces FM to continue in its efforts to empower women in the various fields. To Close, Sakhr congratulated the women graduates and handed to them the training certificates in computer course. (Al Mustaqbal, 22 March 2015)

News of “suicide” by migrant women domestic workers (MWDWs) has become ordinary news in Lebanon as it circulates in the media almost unnoticed with no details or a party to blame. Headlines of some news sites and newspapers were quoted saying: “A Bangladeshi women domestic worker was found hanging inside her employer’s house in Al Qibeh-Al Qulud neighborhood of Tripoli. Security forces arrived at the scene of crime and opened an investigation into the case.” The news comes simple and brief, downplaying the outrageous violence racism and oppression to which MWDWs are subjected to by recruiting agencies and employers.

As part of the activities of its “Be Inspired” leadership program, the Beirut-based Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) organized a meeting with Yumna Gorayyeb and Leila Maaluf, founders of Mymouneh project in 1989 in order to share their story with an audience of girls and highlight the leading role of Lebanese women in society. The two sisters who come from a small village, Ain Al Qabu, standing at the foot of Mount Sannine, spoke about their journey which started in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War in an attempt “to remain useful,” they explained, and gradually the project evolved to include women of their village in income generation. Yumna added that they chose to takeoff with the traditional mooneh since it was not easy then to access other domestic markets for security reasons and the expressed need for mooneh products locally. She also noted that the start-up was made possible thanks to a USD 3000 bank loan. “Mooneh” products were prepared in the house of the Maalufs before the construction a factory which now employs some 18 rural women. To note, the commercial brand, Mymouneh, is presently available in nearly 150 stores across Lebanon in addition to the US, Europe and Middle East markets. The business offers a wide range of natural juices, jams and distilled water products. (L’Orient Le Jour, 17 March 2015)

In the framework of activities hosted at the Grand Serial every month, the spouse of the Prime Minister Lama Salam, organized a scientific seminar aiming to promoting the role of women in protecting national water resources. The event was attended by the Minister of the Environment Mohammad al Mashnook, the spouses of some deputies and ministers and representatives of various associations. In her welcoming speech, Salam outlined the various topics treated at the “Serail Rendezvous” platform since its inception. “The meeting is an attempt to mainstream women in the process of rational water consumption in order to preserve our water wealth,” she said. Also intervening at the event were, Secretary and President of Ibrahim Abdel Aal Foundation for Sustainable Development, Ramsi Arab and Nasser Nasrallah respectively, President of the Aquatic Center at the School of Engineering in USG, Wajdi Najm, Director of Sustainable Development Policies Division at ESCWA, Rula Majdalani and WHO representative in Lebanon, Elissar Radi. Interventions focused on how to enhance the management of water resources and the needed collaboration between public and private sectors. (Al Diyar, 20 March 2015)

Gender balance in the workplace reportedly strengthens national economies as it increases job satisfaction and performance, according to economic experts. Professor at the School of Business and Economy in the University of Umea in Sweden, Asia Lofstrom, underlined that a gender-balanced labor market helps to boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) among the European Union member states by an average 20% to 25%. Lofstrom’s statement was made during the 59 session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. In another meeting of the gender equality commission hosted by the Norwegian Cabinet, Lofstrom said that balanced work conditions can reduce poverty among women and children and increases economic independence for both men and women. Similarly, professor Katrin Olafsdottir of Iceland’s Reykjavik University, pointing to the results of a survey on the issue, said a more balanced workforce with an equal mix of men and women encourages greater self and job satisfaction and higher productivity at work. She went on to say that the performance of men and women is improved when they work together. For her part, member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, Betsey Stevenson, pointed out that a woman who works full time still earns only 78% of the salary of her male counterpart. Women’s employment in the United States, she said, has remained fixed at 57% in the past few years, adding that the “wage gap between both sexes varies greatly with the different phases in the life of women and becomes more visible during pregnancy when they stop working or apply for more flexible and less demanding jobs and which normally are less paid.”  (Al Diyar, 19 March 2015)