Justice for Women project in Akkar completed with Canadian funding

Akkar Network for Development commemorated the completion of its project entitled “Justice for Women”, implemented in the northern mo7afazat of Akkar and funded by Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. The ceremony which was held in Batrun was attended by MP Nidaal Tohmeh, Akkar Governor, Imad Labaki, Political Advisor at the Canadian Ambassy, Somita Deteks and Director of Grants at the Embassy, Nicole Mayar, in addition to mayors and representatives of civil society organizations, the participants in the project and the media. In her opening speech, President of the Network, Nadine Saba, emphasised the need for raising awareness on Law No. 293 noting that the struggle to stop violence against women (VAW) cannot be achieved without the active participation of men and the rest of society members. Selena Sallum from the Network indicated that some 400 women and girls participated in the various awareness workshops organised by the project. Deteks for her part praised the resilience of Lebanese woman in general and of women in Akkar in particular and congratulated the training graduates. The ceremony included also a panel discussion in which Tohmeh emphasized the role of legislators and parliamentary committees in enacting the law for the protection of women and family against violence. In his intervention Labaki focused on his successful personal experience with women in management and local governance. His experience, he stated should encourage a greater number of women to participate in politics, local governance and management. Haitham Kaseer from the media pointed out to the important role played by the media in supporting civil society action to pass the VAW law. The ceremony was concluded with the distribution of certificates and in gifts to participants in the training workshops. (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, 15 March 2015)