HRW demands reform of nationality law 

Human Rights Watch said yesterday that Lebanon should amend the discriminatory nationality law to ensure that children and spouses of Lebanese women married to non-Lebanese have the right to citizenship similarly to Lebanese men. Lebanon must end all forms of discrimination against women and their spouses and children in the nationality law, HRW added. The organization called on the ministries of labor, health and education to adopt and publicize decrees that treat spouses and children of Lebanese women on par with the rest of Lebanese citizens to ensure they are not deprived of their basic rights and services. The organization maintained that the current nationality law discriminates against Lebanese women married to non-Lebanese and consequently against their children and spouses through denying them citizenship. The current law affects the lives of children and couples in all respects, including their legal residency and access to the job market, education, social services and subsidized medical care, and puts many children at risk of becoming stateless. The deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, Lama Fakih, for her part, said the Lebanese parliament should amend the outdated nationality law that goes back to the French Mandate era because it has been causing unwanted and unjustified suffering for more than 90 years. Securing basic rights for the children and spouses of Lebanese women, like education and work, is a step in the right direction, Fakih said, but added, that confusing and piecemeal procedures cannot replace equal citizenship. (Al Liwaa, October 4, 2018)

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